1.
sake bottle; sake carafe
A small ceramic or glass bottle with a narrow neck, used for serving heated or chilled sake. A staple vessel in Japanese drinking culture.
徳利にお酒を入れる。
To pour sake into a tokkuri.
熱燗を徳利で頼んだ。
I ordered hot sake served in a tokkuri.
祖父は毎晩徳利を一本空けるのが楽しみだった。
My grandfather's nightly pleasure was finishing off one tokkuri of sake.
A traditional Japanese vessel for serving sake, typically made of ceramic (陶器). The classic shape has a bulbous body with a narrow neck, designed to retain heat when serving 熱燗 (hot sake). The standard size holds about one 合 (180 ml).
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
In Japanese drinking etiquette, it is customary to pour for others from the 徳利 rather than for yourself. Holding the 徳利 with both hands when pouring shows politeness. When your companion's 猪口 (sake cup) is empty, it is polite to refill it.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 徳利一本 — one tokkuri (of sake)
- 徳利で注ぐ — to pour from a tokkuri
- 陶器の徳利 — a ceramic sake bottle
RELATED TERMS:
- 猪口 — small sake cup; paired with a 徳利 for drinking
- 熱燗 — hot sake; typically served in a 徳利
- 升 — wooden sake cup; a square wooden box for drinking sake