1.
refined sake, clear sake
Clear, filtered Japanese rice wine. The official term for what is commonly known as 日本酒 (nihonshu). Refers specifically to sake that has been filtered and is clear, as opposed to unfiltered cloudy sake (濁り酒). This is the term used on product labels and in legal/tax classification.
Usage
清酒 is the formal and legal term for clear, filtered Japanese rice wine. In everyday conversation, 日本酒 or simply 酒 is far more common. 清酒 appears primarily on product labels, in official documents, and in discussions about brewing.
The character 清 means "clear" or "pure," distinguishing this from 濁り酒 (unfiltered, cloudy sake).