左党(さとう)

Literally 'left party' (左(さ) = left, 党(とう) = 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(ね)っからの左党(さとう): a drinker through and through
• 左党(さとう)の人(ひと): a person who loves alcohol
• 左党(さとう)には嬉(うれ)しい: pleasing to a drinker

Similar words

• 甘党(あまとう): person with a sweet tooth — the counterpart of 左党(さとう); a person who prefers sweets over alcohol
• 酒好(さけず)き: sake lover — a more straightforward and common term for someone who likes drinking
• 飲兵衛(のんべえ): heavy drinker — more informal and slightly pejorative; implies drinking too much

Usage

This word is a homophone of 砂糖(さとう) (sugar) and the surname 佐藤(さとう). 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.