Welcome to Episode 93 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🍻 Saki's friend was the only person at the table who ordered wine - and everyone had to sit and wait. There is a reason Japanese drinking parties start with the same drink, and it isn't that everybody loves beer. 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 乾杯 (kanpai) - the toast; raising glasses together and starting to drink

• 注ぐ (tsugu) - to pour a drink, usually for somebody else

• 付き合い (tsukiai) - the socialising that keeps a relationship going

💡 Inside: why nobody drinks before the toast, and how that single rule explains "toriaezu biiru" - beer arrives fastest, so ordering it gets everyone in step; the glass-height rule when toasting with someone senior; why you don't pour your own drink in Japan, how to hold the bottle (label up, both hands), and the habit of watching your neighbour's glass; 「飲みニケーション」 and why it's fading, including the fact that pressuring people to drink is no longer acceptable; the first, second and even third round; and the simple advice for visitors - match the group on drink one, then order whatever you want.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners heading to Japan for work. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・乾杯 (かんぱい) - A toast; "cheers." The characters mean "dry the cup," though nobody is expected to empty it. As a verb it takes 「に」 for what you're toasting: 「合格に乾杯！」. The important cultural point is procedural - 「乾杯」 marks the moment drinking begins, so glasses are not touched before it, and someone senior usually says a few words first. Note the more formal 「献杯」 (kenpai), used at memorial gatherings, where glasses are raised but not clinked. Related words: 「一杯」 (ippai, one glass), 「飲み会」 (nomikai, a drinking party), 「お疲れさま」 (otsukaresama, the standard greeting that precedes it).

・注ぐ (つぐ) - To pour a drink. In social settings the reciprocal habit matters: 「注ぎ合う」 (to keep each other's glasses filled) and 「お酌をする」 (oshaku wo suru, to pour for someone) describe an evening where nobody fills their own glass. Note the near-twin 「注ぐ」 read as そそぐ, which is broader - pouring liquid generally, and also devoting effort or attention (「力を注ぐ」). The polite request is 「お注ぎしましょうか」. Related words: 「お酌」 (oshaku, pouring for others), 「乾杯」 (kanpai), 「おかわり」 (okawari, a refill).

・付き合い (つきあい) - Association, socialising, keeping up a relationship. It covers business entertaining (「付き合いで飲む」, to drink because the situation requires it), neighbourly contact (「近所付き合い」), and long friendships (「長い付き合いです」). 「付き合いが悪い」 - literally "bad at socialising" - is a mild criticism aimed at someone who always declines invitations, and it carries real weight in Japanese workplaces. The verb 「付き合う」 also means to date someone. Related words: 「飲みニケーション」 (nominication, bonding through drinking), 「義理」 (giri, social obligation), 「断る」 (kotowaru, to decline).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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