Origin

This character combines two visual ideas to represent a type of sake. The left part, 酉, is the radical for alcohol and fermented drinks—it originally depicted a wine vessel or jar. The right part, 寸, represents a measure or a small, precise amount. Together they suggest the careful measurement and fermentation process involved in making distilled sake, particularly the kind called shochu. The combination captures both what the substance is (an alcoholic drink) and how it's made (through controlled, measured fermentation).