soju

[ soh-joo ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of soju¹

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 )