How to order sake at an izakaya: hot or cold, and how much

The tokkuri flask and ochoko cup, how much one gō is, atsukan, hiya and reishu, mokkiri sake poured to overflow, and how to ask for hot sake.

Sake (日本酒, nihonshu) is a classic izakaya drink. Here’s how it comes to your table, how much to order, and how to ask for it hot or cold.

A white sake flask with a blue band and two small cups on a wooden counter, next to a bowl of simmered daikon — A flask of sake, two cups and something to go with it.

Tokkuri and ochoko: flask and cup

Sake often comes in a small flask called a tokkuri (徳利). You pour it into a little cup called an ochoko (お猪口).

A hand pouring sake from a ceramic flask into a small cup with a blue flower pattern — Pour from the tokkuri into the ochoko.

How much? Ichigō and nigō

Sake is often ordered by the gō (合):

一合 (ichigō) — 180 ml
二合 (nigō) — 360 ml

Atsukan: hot sake

熱燗 (atsukan) is sake warmed to around 50°C.

A white sake flask with a little steam rising from it, next to a small cup — Atsukan: hot sake, warmed in the flask.

Hiya: room temperature

冷や (hiya) sounds like “cold”, but it traditionally means room temperature. Some places use it for chilled sake, so it’s a good idea to check.

A small glass of sake on a wooden counter next to a brown bottle — Hiya: sake at room temperature.

Reishu: chilled sake

冷酒 (reishu) is chilled sake, often served in a glass.

A glass sake flask covered in drops of condensation, next to a small glass cup — Reishu: chilled sake in a glass flask.

Mokkiri: poured to overflow

Some izakaya set a glass in a wooden box (升, masu) and pour until the sake spills over. This is called もっきり (mokkiri). Sip from the glass, then pour what’s in the box back into it.

Sake being poured from a green bottle into a glass set in a wooden box, overflowing into the box — Mokkiri: the glass overflows into the box.

How to ask

You can also just ask for sake. If the staff ask how you’d like it, say 熱燗で (atsukan de) — “hot, please.”

Can’t read the sake menu? Izakaya Buddy’s Scan the menu explains each drink in English.