1.
drinking standing up; stand-up bar
Drinking (usually alcohol) while standing at a counter rather than sitting, and by extension a cheap bar where customers drink this way. Such bars are common near train stations and are known for low prices and quick visits.
From 立つ (to stand) + 飲む (to drink). Parallel to 立ち食い (eating standing up), the stand-up noodle counters found at stations. The word names both the act and the kind of bar; the bar itself is often called 立ち飲み屋.
Common collocations
- 立ち飲み屋: stand-up bar
- 立ち飲みの店: stand-up drinking place
- 立ち飲みで一杯: a quick drink standing up
- 角打ち: drinking at a liquor shop's counter (a regional name for a similar custom)
Cultural note
Stand-up bars are associated with office workers stopping for a quick, cheap drink before the train home. Because no one sits, turnover is fast and strangers often chat across the counter.