rice wine

IPA/ˌraɪs ˈwaɪn/
IPA/ˌraɪs ˈwaɪn/

rice wine — noun

1. a type of alcoholic drink made by fermenting rice grains, used both as a beverag

1.nounB1
Definition

a type of alcoholic drink made by fermenting rice grains, used both as a beverage at meals and as an ingredient in cooking, especially in East and Southeast Asian cuisines

Example

Mei-Ling picked up a bottle of rice wine for the hot pot party.

collocation: a bottle of rice wine

The chef added a splash of rice wine to the braised pork for extra flavour.

collocation: a splash of rice wine

Common collocations
  • a splash of rice wine
  • a bottle of rice wine
  • sweet rice wine
  • cooking rice wine
  • warm rice wine
  • seasoned with rice wine
  • marinated in rice wine
Synonyms
  • sake

    Japanese fermented rice wine, usually served as a drink rather than used in cooking

  • mijiu

    Chinese rice wine (米酒), often used in cooking in Chinese-speaking regions

  • mirin

    a sweet rice wine from Japan used exclusively for seasoning and glazing dishes

Grammar Patterns

rice wine as uncountable noun

a bottle/type of rice wine as countable

Usage Note

In Taiwan, 米酒 (rice wine) is most commonly associated with the clear, distilled variety used in everyday cooking, such as the brand 紅標米酒 (Red Label Rice Wine). Japanese sake (清酒) is a fermented rice wine typically served as a drink rather than used in cooking. Learners should distinguish rice wine from rice vinegar (米醋), which is sour and used for pickling or dressings.

Common Mistakes

Please pass me the rice wine vinegar for the salad.
Please pass me the rice vinegar for the salad.
Rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar are the same thing; 'rice wine' alone refers to the alcoholic drink.
I bought a sake from the convenience store to cook the chicken.
I bought a bottle of rice wine from the convenience store to cook the chicken.
Sake is a specific Japanese drink; Taiwanese cooking typically uses 米酒 (rice wine) instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four are Asian rice-based alcoholic drinks, but they differ in production method, alcohol content, and culinary use. Rice wine (米酒) is the broadest term, covering both fermented and distilled rice beverages used for drinking and cooking. Sake (日本酒 / 清酒) is a Japanese fermented rice wine with a higher polish ratio, typically served chilled or warm as a drink — rarely used in cooking. Mirin is a sweetened, low-alcohol rice wine used exclusively as a cooking seasoning in Japanese cuisine; it adds sweetness and shine to glazes. Shochu is a distilled spirit that can be made from rice (kome-jōchū) among other ingredients, with a much higher alcohol content (25–35%), and is usually drunk on its own or in cocktails. In practical terms: if you are following a Chinese or Taiwanese recipe that calls for 米酒, use mijiu (cooking rice wine); if a Japanese recipe calls for a sweetening agent, use mirin; if you want a drinking experience, choose sake or shochu.

sake ↗mirin ↗mijiushochu

Common collocations

Nouns

  • rice wine bottle
  • rice wine flavour
  • rice wine cooking

Adverbs

  • lightly seasoned with rice wine
  • traditionally made with rice wine

Phrases

  • a bottle of rice wine
  • a splash of rice wine
  • a dash of rice wine
  • a cup of warm rice wine

Prepositions

  • cooked with rice wine
  • marinated in rice wine
  • made from rice wine

Etymology

Dravidian/SanskritGreekLatinOld FrenchEnglish

The English term 'rice wine' is a descriptive compound formed from 'rice' (the grain) + 'wine' (an alcoholic drink from fermented fruit or grain). It emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries as European traders and travellers encountered rice-based alcoholic drinks across East and Southeast Asia and needed a label that distinguished them from grape wines. The word 'rice' comes from Old French 'ris', from Italian 'riso', from Latin 'oryza', from Greek 'óryza', ultimately from an ancient Dravidian or Sanskrit source. 'Wine' comes from Old English 'wīn', from Proto-Germanic '*wīnam', borrowed from Latin 'vīnum'.