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

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

From Barron's

Ashley presents Spill the Soju, a K-pop fan podcast, with her best friend Chelsea Toledo.

From BBC

Those elements, of artists in quotidian scenarios, drinking soju and smoking amid everyday conversation, are present in many of the small humanist gems that make up this South Korean auteur’s filmography, and the same goes for his latest, “In Our Day.”

From New York Times

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

Soju most often comes in iconic green bottles branded Chamisul or Chum Churum, and more recently also in a light blue bottle called Jinro.

From Salon