1.
person who likes alcohol; fond of drinking
Someone who enjoys drinking alcoholic beverages. Can describe either the person or the quality of being fond of alcohol.
父は酒好きだ。
My father likes his drink.
酒好きの友人と居酒屋に行った。
I went to an izakaya with a friend who loves drinking.
酒好きにはたまらない品揃えのバーだ。
It's a bar with an irresistible selection for alcohol lovers.
Composed of 酒 (alcohol, sake) and 好き (liking, fond of). The 好き becomes 好き (voiced) in this compound due to rendaku. A casual, everyday word with no negative connotation — it simply means someone enjoys alcohol, unlike 大酒飲み or アルコール依存症, which imply excess.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 酒好きな人: a person who likes drinking
- 酒好きにはたまらない: irresistible for alcohol lovers
- 酒好きが集まる: alcohol lovers gather
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 飲ん兵衛: heavy drinker — colloquial and somewhat humorous
- 左党: drinker, sake lover — literary/humorous synonym
- 甘党: person with a sweet tooth — the opposite pairing, preferring sweets over alcohol
RELATED PATTERN:
The ~好き pattern is productive: 甘い物好き (sweet tooth), 猫好き (cat lover), 映画好き (movie lover).