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N4Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Hangover in Japanese: 二日酔ふつかよい (ふつかよい), and every stage of drunk before it

"Hangover" in Japanese is 二日酔ふつかよい (ふつかよい), literally "second-day drunkenness". To say "I have a hangover", use 二日酔ふつかよいです or, more casually, 二日酔ふつかよいだ. The usual explanation is 飲のみすぎました, "I drank too much".

The word itself explains the experience perfectly: 二日ふつか (two days) and 酔よい (drunkenness). You drank on day one, and the drunkenness carried over into day two. Japanese has a rich set of words for every step before that point, from pleasantly tipsy to completely gone, and a few cultural habits around the morning after. This post goes from the hangover backward through the night, then forward to the cures people talk about.

How do you say "I have a hangover" in Japanese?

What does 二日酔ふつかよい mean?

二日酔ふつかよい (ふつかよい) is a hangover, the sick feeling the day after drinking. It is a noun, so you say 二日酔ふつかよいです (polite) or 二日酔ふつかよいだ (casual).

今日きょうは二日酔ふつかよいです。 — I have a hangover today. (polite, honest at work) 完全かんぜんに二日酔ふつかよいだ……。 — I'm totally hungover... (casual, groaning to a friend)

You can also use it with になる, "to become": 二日酔ふつかよいになった, "I ended up with a hangover". The kanji 酔すい means "drunk", and you will meet it in all the words below.

How do you explain why?

Say 飲のみすぎました, "I drank too much". 〜すぎる means "too much", and it is the most natural way to take responsibility for the hangover.

昨日きのうは飲のみすぎました。 — I drank too much yesterday. (polite, a confession) また飲のみすぎちゃった。 — I drank too much again. (casual, with a little regret)

The second sentence uses 〜ちゃった, which adds "oops, I did it". See 〜すぎる for the "too much" pattern and 〜てしまう / 〜ちゃった for the regret.

How do you describe the symptoms?

The two classic symptoms are 頭あたまが痛いたい (あたまがいたい), "my head hurts", and 気持ち悪きもちわるい (きもちわるい), "I feel sick".

頭あたまが痛いたくて、気持ち悪きもちわるい。 — My head hurts and I feel sick. (casual, the full hangover) 水みずをたくさん飲のんだほうがいいよ。 — You should drink lots of water. (casual, advice to a friend)

気持ち悪きもちわるい literally means "bad feeling". In this context it means nauseous, but the same phrase can also mean "creepy" or "gross", so context matters. For more ways to say you are unwell, see how to say sick in Japanese.

What are the stages of being drunk in Japanese?

What does 酔よう mean?

酔よう (よう) means "to get drunk", and 酔よっている means "to be drunk". Like many change verbs, the state uses ている.

ちょっと酔よってる。 — I'm a little drunk. (casual, honest) 酔よってないよ! — I'm not drunk! (casual, said by someone who clearly is)

酔よう is also used for motion sickness: 車くるまに酔よう is "to get carsick". The idea is the same: your body feels unsteady.

What is ほろ酔よい?

ほろ酔よい (ほろよい) is a pleasant, light tipsiness: the good stage. It is the word for the moment when everyone is relaxed and laughing, before anyone has had too much.

ほろ酔よいでいい気分きぶんです。 — I'm a little tipsy and in a good mood. (polite, a happy state)

What is 酔よっ払はらい?

酔よっ払はらう (よっぱらう) is "to get very drunk", and 酔よっ払はらい (よっぱらい) is "a drunk person". It is stronger than 酔よう and a bit comic, the image of someone singing loudly on the last train home.

駅えきに酔よっ払はらいがいた。 — There was a drunk guy at the station. (casual, describing a scene) もう酔よっ払はらってるの? — Are you already drunk? (casual, teasing a friend)

At the far end is 泥酔でいすい (でいすい), "dead drunk", literally "mud drunk". It appears in news reports more than in conversation.

How do you say you can or can't drink much?

Say お酒さけに強つよい (おさけにつよい), "strong with alcohol", or お酒さけに弱よわい (おさけによわい), "weak with alcohol". Japanese describes tolerance as strength.

私わたしはお酒さけに弱よわいです。 — I can't drink much. (polite, useful at a drinking party) 彼かれはお酒さけに強つよいから、全然ぜんぜん酔よわない。 — He holds his alcohol well, so he never gets drunk. (casual)

Someone who cannot drink alcohol at all is a 下戸げこ (げこ), an old word still used today. お酒さけに弱よわい is the gentle, everyday way to set your limit at a party. For party culture itself, see 飲み会のみかい and 無礼講ぶれいこう.

Beyond the basics

What do people in Japan do for a hangover?

People talk about 二日酔ふつかよいに効きく (ふつかよいにきく) things, "things that work for hangovers". 効きく means "to be effective", and it is the verb for medicine and remedies.

何なにか二日酔ふつかよいに効きくものある? — Is there anything good for a hangover? (casual, asking a friend) しじみの味噌汁みそしるがいいって言いわれてる。 — People say clam miso soup is good. (casual, passing on common wisdom)

Clam miso soup (しじみの味噌汁みそしる) is a well-known traditional choice, and many convenience stores sell turmeric drinks (ウコン) aimed at people who are going drinking. Whether they work is another question; the vocabulary is what you need here.

What is 迎むかえ酒さけ?

迎むかえ酒さけ (むかえざけ) is drinking more alcohol to deal with a hangover, the Japanese "hair of the dog". 迎むかえる means "to welcome", so it is literally "welcoming sake". It is usually mentioned as a joke or a bad idea.

迎むかえ酒さけはやめたほうがいいよ。 — You'd better not do the hair of the dog. (casual, sensible advice)

How do you apologize the next day?

After a work drinking party, a short 昨日きのうはすみませんでした goes a long way. If you need to say you are not at your best, 二日酔ふつかよいで、ちょっと調子ちょうしが悪わるいです is honest and a little self-deprecating.

昨日きのうはありがとうございました。楽たのしかったです。 — Thank you for yesterday. I had a great time. (polite, the standard morning-after line to a boss) 二日酔ふつかよいで、ちょっと調子ちょうしが悪わるいです。 — I'm a bit off because of a hangover. (polite, with an embarrassed smile)

The first line, thanking someone the next day for the party, is a Japanese habit worth copying. We cover it in thank you again in Japanese.

Quick reference

Word Reading Meaning Stage
ほろ酔よい ほろよい tipsy, pleasantly buzzed early
酔よう / 酔よっている よう / よっている to get / be drunk middle
酔よっ払はらい よっぱらい a drunk person late
泥酔でいすい でいすい dead drunk the end
二日酔ふつかよい ふつかよい hangover next day
迎むかえ酒さけ むかえざけ hair of the dog a bad idea
お酒さけに弱よわい / 強つよい おさけによわい / つよい can't / can hold alcohol any time

Common mistakes

  • Saying 二日酔ふつかよいします. It is a noun: 二日酔ふつかよいです, or 二日酔ふつかよいになった.
  • Saying 酔よいます for "I'm drunk". The state is 酔よっています or 酔よってる.
  • Saying 気持ち悪きもちわるい about a person when you mean you feel sick. About yourself, it means nauseous. About another person, it means "creepy".
  • Calling your boss 酔よっ払はらい. It sounds comic and rude. 少すこし酔よっているみたいです is safer.
  • Forgetting the morning-after thank you. In work settings, 昨日きのうはありがとうございました is expected.

Practice

Try each answer before opening it. Questions 5 and 6 are a pair: the same alcohol, two very different stages.

1. Say "I have a hangover today" politely.

Show answer

今日きょうは二日酔ふつかよいです。 — 二日酔ふつかよい is a noun, so it takes です.

2. Explain why: "I drank too much yesterday."

Show answer

昨日きのうは飲のみすぎました。 — 〜すぎる means "too much". The stem 飲のみ plus すぎました.

3. Say "My head hurts and I feel sick" casually.

Show answer

頭あたまが痛いたくて、気持ち悪きもちわるい。 — 痛いたい becomes 痛いたくて to connect, and 気持ち悪きもちわるい means nauseous here.

4. Say "I'm a little drunk" casually.

Show answer

ちょっと酔よってる。 — the state of being drunk uses ている, shortened to てる in speech.

5. What is the pleasant, slightly tipsy stage called?

Show answer

ほろ酔よい — light, happy tipsiness.

6. What do you call a very drunk person singing on the last train?

Show answer

酔よっ払はらい — stronger and more comic than 酔よっている. This is the pair to question 5.

7. At a party, politely say you can't drink much.

Show answer

お酒さけに弱よわいです。 — Japanese describes alcohol tolerance as strong or weak.

8. Ask a friend "Is there anything good for a hangover?"

Show answer

何なにか二日酔ふつかよいに効きくものある? — 効きく means "to work, be effective", and the problem takes に.

9. What is 迎むかえ酒さけ?

Show answer

Hair of the dog — drinking more alcohol to cure a hangover. 迎むかえる means "to welcome".

10. The morning after a work party, what do you say to your boss?

Show answer

昨日きのうはありがとうございました。 — thanking someone again the next day is a standard Japanese courtesy.

Practise a drinking-party conversation, from ほろ酔よい to 二日酔ふつかよい, in a trial lesson so you can describe how you feel the next morning.

FAQ

How do you say "hangover" in Japanese? 二日酔ふつかよい (ふつかよい). "I have a hangover" is 二日酔ふつかよいです.

Why is it called 二日酔ふつかよい? 二日ふつか means "two days" and 酔よい means "drunkenness": the drunkenness from day one continues into day two.

What is the difference between 酔よう and 酔よっ払はらう? 酔よう is getting drunk in general. 酔よっ払はらう is getting very drunk, and it sounds stronger and a bit comic.

How do I refuse another drink politely? もう大丈夫だいじょうぶです, "I'm fine now, thanks", or お酒さけに弱よわいので, "I can't drink much, so...". Both sound polite at a party.

Does 酔よう only mean drunk? No. It also means motion sickness: 車くるまに酔よう (carsick), 船ふねに酔よう (seasick).

What does 気持ち悪きもちわるい mean? About your own body, "I feel sick" or nauseous. About a person or thing, "creepy" or "gross". Context decides.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

二日酔い	ふつかよい — hangover
飲みすぎる	のみすぎる — to drink too much
頭が痛い	あたまがいたい — my head hurts
気持ち悪い	きもちわるい — feel sick; creepy
酔う	よう — to get drunk; to get motion sick
ほろ酔い	ほろよい — tipsy
酔っ払う	よっぱらう — to get very drunk
酔っ払い	よっぱらい — a drunk person
泥酔	でいすい — dead drunk
お酒に強い	おさけにつよい — can hold one's alcohol
お酒に弱い	おさけによわい — can't drink much
下戸	げこ — someone who can't drink
効く	きく — to be effective
味噌汁	みそしる — miso soup
迎え酒	むかえざけ — hair of the dog
調子が悪い	ちょうしがわるい — not feeling well, off

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. 二日酔ふつかよい tends to come up in lessons when learners plan a trip to Japan and ask what to say around drinking parties and late nights, so this post is built around those moments. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or try the Japanese practice exercises first.

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

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N4 · Read something at this level: JLPT N4 stories with audio

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