1.
drinker; sake lover; person who favors alcohol
A person who enjoys drinking alcohol, especially sake. Contrasted with people who prefer sweets. Used in a lighthearted or self-deprecating way.
父は根っからの左党だ。
My father is a drinker through and through.
デザートより酒が好きな左党の人も多い。
There are many drinkers who prefer alcohol over dessert.
左党の彼にケーキを贈っても喜ばれないだろう。
Giving cake to him, a confirmed drinker, probably won't make him happy.
Literally 'left party' (左 = left, 党 = party, group). The origin is debated, but one popular explanation relates to how a sake cup is held — using the left hand — while rice is eaten with the right hand held with chopsticks. Thus a person of the 'left party' favors sake.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 根っからの左党: a drinker through and through
- 左党の人: a person who loves alcohol
- 左党には嬉しい: pleasing to a drinker
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 甘党: person with a sweet tooth — the counterpart of 左党; a person who prefers sweets over alcohol
- 酒好き: sake lover — a more straightforward and common term for someone who likes drinking
- 飲兵衛: heavy drinker — more informal and slightly pejorative; implies drinking too much
NOTE:
This word is a homophone of 砂糖 (sugar) and the surname 佐藤. The kanji make the meaning clear in writing. The word has a slightly old-fashioned or literary flavor and is more commonly encountered in written descriptions than in everyday conversation.