Sake Glossary — Plain-English Sake Terms

Sake Categories & Styles

The grades and styles you'll see referenced constantly in WSET study materials, from everyday table sake to the most highly polished premium grades.

Futsū-shu (table sake): Everyday, standard-grade sake with no minimum rice polishing requirement, making up the majority of sake produced and consumed in Japan.
Honjōzō: A premium grade made from rice polished to at least 70% of its original size, with a small amount of distilled alcohol added to lighten the body and lift aroma.
Ginjō: A premium grade made from rice polished to at least 60%, fermented at cool temperatures with a yeast that produces fruity, floral aromas.
Daiginjō: The most highly polished premium grade, made from rice polished to at least 50%, prized for its delicate, intensely aromatic character.
Junmai ("pure rice"): A term added to any of the above grades to indicate no distilled alcohol was added, only rice, water, kōji, and yeast.

Nigori: Cloudy, unfiltered sake that retains fine rice solids, giving it a creamy texture and often a touch of sweetness.
Sparkling sake: Sake with natural or added carbonation, typically lower in alcohol and served chilled.
Koshu: Sake that's been deliberately aged, often for several years, developing deep, sherry-like, caramelized notes unlike typical fresh sake.
Namazake: Unpasteurized sake, kept refrigerated for freshness and prized for its especially vivid, fresh aromatics.

Acidity (san-do): The tart quality in sake balancing its sweetness, generally lower than in wine but still an important part of its structure.
Alcohol addition: Adding a small amount of distilled alcohol to sake before pressing, used in honjōzō and ginjō grades to lighten body and boost aroma.

Brewer's alcohol: Another name for the distilled alcohol added in alcohol-addition sake; not the same as fortifying a wine with spirit.

Fermentation (multiple parallel): Sake's distinctive process where the conversion of rice starch to sugar and the fermentation of that sugar into alcohol happen in the same vessel at the same time, rather than in separate steps.

Genshu: Undiluted sake, bottled at its natural, higher strength straight from pressing rather than cut with water.

Kasu (sake lees): The solid rice residue left behind after pressing sake, often used in cooking or further processed into other products.
Kōji: Rice inoculated with a special mold that produces the enzymes needed to convert rice starch into fermentable sugar — the essential first step in making sake.

Moromi: The main fermenting mash of steamed rice, kōji, water, and yeast, left to ferment over several weeks.
Moto (shubo): A small, concentrated yeast starter built up before being added to the main fermentation, to ensure a strong, healthy population of yeast.

Nihonshu-do (Sake Meter Value): A scale indicating how dry or sweet a sake is; a higher, more positive number indicates a drier sake.

Pasteurization (hi-ire): Briefly heating sake to stabilize it and stop enzyme activity before storage; most sake is pasteurized twice, once before aging and once before bottling.
Polishing ratio (seimaibuai): The percentage of the original rice grain remaining after milling away its outer layers; a lower number means more polishing and generally a lighter, more fragrant sake.

Sakamai: Rice varieties specifically bred for sake brewing, prized for a large, starchy core, rather than for eating.

Umami: A savory, brothy taste quality, often used to describe the rounder, more savory character some sakes show alongside their sweetness and acidity.

Yeast: The microorganism that ferments the sugar produced by kōji into alcohol; different strains contribute different aromatic profiles, from fruity to more neutral.