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 • 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

The eldest, or the person paying for dinner, will open the bottle of soju.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2023

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

Crouched around a smoking barbeque, down a back alley in Seoul, Lee Geon-il clinks glasses with his friends and they knock back their first soju of the night.

From BBC • May 8, 2022