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N5Lesson notes · Oct 2, 2026

Cheers in Japanese: Kanpai or Kampai? 乾杯かんぱい (かんぱい)

Kanpai or kampai? Both spellings are correct for 乾杯かんぱい (かんぱい), how to say cheers in Japanese. It is the toast you say once, together, when everyone has a glass in hand and the first drink is about to begin.

It is easy to learn and easy to use wrongly. The word is simple; the timing and the little customs around it are what make you sound like someone who has actually been to a Japanese drinking party. This article covers the word, the moment, and the habits that go with it.

The basics

How do you say "cheers" in Japanese, and how do you pronounce it?

The word is 乾杯かんぱい, written in hiragana as かんぱい. It is pronounced "kan-pai", with a short, clear "pai" at the end. The "p" comes from a sound change: 杯はい is normally はい (hai), but after the ん of 乾いぬい it hardens into ぱい.

You will see it romanized two ways, "kanpai" and "kampai". Both are spelling choices for the same sound. The "m" version reflects that the ん before a "p" sounds a little like "m" in speech; the "n" version follows the usual romanization rule that ん is always written n. Neither is wrong, and Japanese speakers do not care which you type.

乾杯かんぱい! — Cheers! (the standard toast, everyone together) かんぱーい! — Cheers! (casual, the vowel stretched out, among friends)

What does 乾杯かんぱい literally mean?

乾いぬい means "dry" and 杯はい means "cup", so the word is literally "dry the cup": empty it. The word came into Japanese from Chinese 干かん杯はい (gā (gnbē (gnbi), where draining the cup is the point.

You do not have to empty your glass today. Nobody checks. But knowing the literal meaning explains why the word feels like the formal start of a drink, not just a friendly noise before sipping.

When exactly do you say it?

At the very first drink, and only once everyone has a glass. This is the part that surprises visitors: in Japan, people generally wait. If a group sits down at an izakaya and the drinks arrive one by one, nobody drinks until all the glasses are there and someone says 乾杯かんぱい.

じゃ、みんな揃そろったので、乾杯かんぱいしましょう。 — Right, everyone's here, so let's do a toast. (polite, someone organizing the table) とりあえず、乾杯かんぱい! — Well, to start, cheers! (casual, the standard first-round moment)

That とりあえず ("for now", "to begin with") is very common at the start of a night, and it often goes with ビール. Many groups order the same first drink so the toast can happen quickly. After 乾杯かんぱい you are free to drink, order whatever you like, and drift into the rest of the evening. If the evening runs long, the morning-after word is 二日酔ふつかよい, literally "second-day drunkenness", and hangover in Japanese pairs it with 飲のみすぎました for owning up to it.

Beyond the basics

What do people say at work parties?

At a company drinking party, the toast is usually a small ritual with two parts. Someone, often a senior person or the organizer, says a few words first, and then everyone says 乾杯かんぱい. The speech is called 乾杯かんぱいの挨拶あいさつ (かんぱいのあいさつ), "the toast greeting", and it is usually short on purpose.

それでは、今日きょうもお疲つかれ様さまでした。乾杯かんぱい! — Well then, good work today. Cheers! (polite, typical workplace toast) お疲つかれ様さまでした! 乾杯かんぱい! — Good work, everyone! Cheers! (polite, after a project or at the end of a week)

The お疲つかれ様さまでした part is not decoration. It acknowledges that everyone has been working, and the drink is the reward. If that phrase is new, see the meaning of otsukaresama. For the wider picture of how these evenings run, nomikai and bureikō covers what happens before and after the toast.

How do you toast to a specific thing or person?

Put the thing before に, then add 乾杯かんぱい. The に marks the target of the toast.

二人ふたりの未来みらいに、乾杯かんぱい! — To the two of you and your future, cheers! (polite, wedding or celebration) 新あたらしい仕事しごとに、乾杯かんぱい! — Cheers to the new job! (casual-polite, a friend's good news) 今日きょうの勝利しょうりに乾杯かんぱい! — Here's to today's victory! (slightly dramatic, sports or anime-style)

〜に乾杯かんぱい sounds a little theatrical in everyday life, which is why you hear it most at celebrations and in scripted scenes. For good-news situations, it pairs naturally with おめでとう.

What is the glass etiquette?

These are common customs, not laws, and plenty of friend groups ignore all of them. Still, they are widely described, and following them in a work setting costs you nothing:

  • Lower your glass when you clink with someone senior. The rim of your glass sits a little below theirs as a small sign of respect.
  • Pour for others rather than for yourself. People watch each other's glasses and top them up. When yours is topped up, a small nod or a light touch of the hand to the glass is a normal thank-you.
  • Do not start drinking before the toast is done. This is the one that matters most, and the one visitors most often break.
  • Clink gently. The point is to join the group, not to hit glasses hard.

お注そそぎしますよ。 — Let me pour for you. (polite, to someone senior) あ、すみません、ありがとうございます。 — Oh, sorry, thank you. (polite, when someone pours for you)

Many younger groups relax all of this, particularly when everyone is of similar age. If you are unsure, watch what the senior person does and copy it. How far an evening loosens up is another matter: 羽目はめを外はずす is the idiom for going overboard at a party, and let loose in Japanese separates it from 調子ちょうしに乗のる, the mildly critical word for getting cocky.

Do you have to drink alcohol?

No. A toast with a non-alcoholic drink is completely normal. People who cannot or do not want to drink often order ウーロン茶ちゃ (oolong tea) or soft drinks, and the toast works exactly the same.

ウーロン茶ちゃで乾杯かんぱい! — Cheers with oolong tea! (casual, someone not drinking) 私わたしはノンアルで。 — I'll have a non-alcoholic one. (polite, ordering)

What matters is raising a glass with the group at the right moment, not what is in it. Some people hold a glass of water or tea and nobody comments.

How does 乾杯かんぱい sound in anime and dramas?

Izakaya scenes are an anime staple, and the toast is almost always how they begin. You hear the stretched, cheerful かんぱーい!, sometimes with a shout of とりあえず生なま! ("a draft beer to start!") before it. In office dramas the same moment is more formal: a senior speaks, glasses rise, and the group answers with a single 乾杯かんぱい.

かんぱーい! ぷはー、うまい! — Cheers! Ahh, that's good! (casual, the classic first-sip scene)

Listen for how short it is. The word itself is only four beats (か・ん・ぱ・い), five when stretched into かんぱーい, and the real information is in the tone: celebratory, tired, or awkward.

Common mistakes

  • Drinking before the toast. The most common one. Wait for everyone's glass and for the signal.
  • Using 乾杯かんぱい to mean "thanks". In casual English, "cheers" can mean "thank you" or "goodbye". Japanese 乾杯かんぱい never does. For thanks, use どうも or ありがとう, and see how to say thank you in Japanese.
  • Saying 乾杯かんぱい on its own for a one-person sip. It is a group word. Drinking alone, or taking a sip of a drink you were just handed, does not call for it.
  • Saying it at the wrong moment of a meal. 乾杯かんぱい starts the drinks; いただきます is still what you say before the food. See いただきます and ごちそうさま.
  • Treating the etiquette as a test. The lowered glass and the pouring are signs of consideration, not exam questions. A sincere smile covers most mistakes.

How to say it at a glance

Situation What people say Feel
Standard first toast 乾杯かんぱい! Neutral, works everywhere
Friends, relaxed かんぱーい! Casual, cheerful
Work party お疲つかれ様さまでした! 乾杯かんぱい! Polite, workplace
Toast to something 〜に乾杯かんぱい! Celebratory, a bit dramatic
Not drinking alcohol ウーロン茶ちゃで乾杯かんぱい! Casual, completely normal
Saying "thanks" (casual "cheers") どうも / ありがとう Not 乾杯かんぱい at all

Practice

Try each answer yourself before opening it. Questions 4 and 5 are a pair: both use the word "cheers", but in opposite situations.

1. What is the standard Japanese word for the drinking toast "cheers"?

Show answer

乾杯かんぱい (かんぱい) — the word used for the group toast at the start of a drink.

2. What does 乾杯かんぱい literally mean, character by character?

Show answer

"Dry the cup" — 乾いぬい is "dry" and 杯はい is "cup". It points back to draining the cup.

3. A group sits down and the first drinks arrive one at a time. When do you start drinking?

Show answer

After everyone has a glass and the toast has been said — the first drink starts together, so people wait for the signal.

4. A friend hands you your coffee and you want to say "cheers" in the casual "thanks" sense. Which do you use?

Show answer

どうも or ありがとう — 乾杯かんぱい never means "thanks". It is only the toast. This is the pair to question 5.

5. Everyone has a glass and the evening is about to start. Which do you say?

Show answer

乾杯かんぱい! — the toast belongs to the moment when a group raises glasses together. It is the pair to question 4.

6. How do you say "Cheers to the new job!"?

Show answer

新あたらしい仕事しごとに乾杯かんぱい! — the thing being toasted goes before に, then 乾杯かんぱい.

7. At a work party, what do people often say just before 乾杯かんぱい?

Show answer

お疲つかれ様さまでした — it acknowledges everyone's work, and the drink is the reward. A senior person may also give a short 乾杯かんぱいの挨拶あいさつ first.

8. You are clinking glasses with a senior colleague. What is the common custom with your glass?

Show answer

Hold it slightly lower than theirs — a small sign of respect. It is a common custom, not a rule.

9. You do not drink alcohol. Can you still join the toast, and how would you say it?

Show answer

Yes — ウーロン茶ちゃで乾杯かんぱい! — what matters is raising a glass with the group, not what is inside it.

10. Is the "kanpai" versus "kampai" romanization a different word?

Show answer

No, it is the same word — just two ways of writing the same sound. In Japanese it is always 乾杯かんぱい or かんぱい.

Before your first night out, run through the 乾杯かんぱい toast and とりあえずビール in a trial lesson, as if you were sitting at an izakaya table.

FAQ

Is it kanpai or kampai? Both spellings are used for the same word, 乾杯かんぱい. "Kanpai" follows the standard rule that ん is written n; "kampai" tries to match the sound. In Japanese it is always 乾杯かんぱい or かんぱい.

What does 乾杯かんぱい mean literally? "Dry the cup", from 乾いぬい (dry) and 杯はい (cup). Today it simply means the toast, and nobody expects you to empty your glass.

Can I say 乾杯かんぱい with tea or juice? Yes. Toasting with ウーロン茶ちゃ or a soft drink is normal, and nobody will read anything into it.

Does 乾杯かんぱい ever mean "thanks" or "goodbye"? No. Casual English "cheers" can mean either, but 乾杯かんぱい is only the drinking toast. Use どうも or ありがとう for thanks.

Do I really have to wait before drinking? In most formal and work settings, yes. Waiting for everyone's glass and the toast is the usual custom. Among close friends it can be looser, but starting together is always the safe choice.

Is there a quieter way to toast than shouting? Yes. A single, calm 乾杯かんぱい with a small raised glass is perfectly normal, especially at work or in a quiet restaurant. The stretched かんぱーい! is for lively groups.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab.

乾杯	かんぱい — cheers, a toast
乾杯の挨拶	かんぱいのあいさつ — short speech before the toast
お疲れ様でした	おつかれさまでした — good work, thanks for your effort
とりあえず	とりあえず — for now, to begin with
ビール	ビール — beer
ウーロン茶	ウーロンちゃ — oolong tea
ノンアル	ノンアル — non-alcoholic drink (short form)
注ぐ	つぐ — to pour
未来	みらい — future
勝利	しょうり — victory
ありがとう	ありがとう — thank you
どうも	どうも — thanks (casual)

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so the toast scenes here come from many an izakaya on screen, and from what learners actually ask about before their first night out. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

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