1.
cold water; room-temperature (unwarmed) sake
A short word for something served cold or unheated. Refers to cold water (especially お冷や at a restaurant) or to sake served at room temperature rather than warmed.
お冷やをください。
Could I have some cold water, please?
今日は酒を冷やで飲む。
Today I'll drink the sake cold.
熱燗より冷やのほうが好きだ。
I prefer sake at room temperature over hot sake.
A noun from the verb 冷やす (to cool). It refers to something served cold or unwarmed, and has two everyday uses.
MAIN USES:
- お冷や: a glass of cold water, especially the free water served at a restaurant
- 冷や: sake drunk at room temperature (or chilled), as opposed to heated sake
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 熱燗: hot, warmed sake — the opposite way of serving sake
- 冷たい水: cold water — the plain descriptive phrase