soju

American  

[soh-joo] / ˈsoʊˌdʒu /

noun

1. a colorless, clear, distilled alcoholic beverage from Korea, often made from a mixture of rice and other starches such as sweet potatoes, wheat, barley, tapioca, etc..

   He sat down at the bar and ordered a bowl of cold noodles and a bottle of soju.

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Etymology

Origin of soju

First recorded in 1870–75; from Korean so “to burn, roast” (from Middle Chinese; cognate with Mandarin shāo, Cantonese siu, Japanese shō ) + ju “alcoholic beverage” (from Middle Chinese; cognate with Mandarin jiǔ, Cantonese zau, Japanese shu )

Example Sentences

Up top are mellow selections made for sipping soda or soju.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

He described heartbreaking traces: hundreds of neatly capped soju bottles and dusty boxes of gifts that were never opened.

From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025

He’d like to see sato become synonymous with the cuisines of Laos and neighboring Thailand in the way that sake is with Japanese food, soju with Korean.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 2, 2024

Many people also laid chrysanthemums, bottles of the Korean liquor soju, candles and snacks near an Itaewon subway station, with a host of condolence messages posted on the wall and elsewhere.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 30, 2022

As compared to western yogurt, the "yogurt" replicated in this soju is a fermented, probiotic beverage that uses a different strain of bacteria and is lighter in texture and sweeter.

From Salon • Jun. 29, 2022