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Definition

甘口

Amakuchi

Sweet in flavor

普通酒 

Futsu-shu

Normal sake -- anything without a special monicker

原酒

Genshu

Undiluted sake (most are slightly diluted)

吟醸酒 

Ginjo-shu

Sake brewed with rice  milled so that no more than 60% of the grain remains

火入れ

Hi-ire

Pasteurization

本醸造

Honjozo

Sake to which a small amount of distilled alcohol is added

地酒

Jizake

Sake from smaller kura -- originally, sake from the boonies

純米酒

Junmai-shu

Sake brewed with only rice, water, and koji -- no additives

辛口

Karakuchi

Dry in flavor

粕

Kasu

The lees remaining after  the sake has been pressed from the fermenting mixture

麹

Koji

Rice onto which koji-jin  has been propogated (see FAQ page, Q14)

麹菌

Koji-kin or Koji-kabi

Aspergillus Oryzae -- a  starch dissolving mold

蔵

Kura

A sake brewery -- also  known as a sakagura

蔵人

Kurabito

A brewery worker

蔵元

Kuramoto

Head of brewery

銘柄

Meigara

The 'brand name' of a sake

諸味

Moromi

Fermenting mixture of rice, water, koji, and yeast which yields sake

元

Moto

The yeast starter of a  batch of sake -- also, shubo

日本酒度

Nihonshu-do

The specific gravity of a  sake -- an indication of dryness or sweetness (see FAQ Page, Q16)

精米

Seimai

Rice polishing (milling)

精米歩合

Seimai-buai

The degree to which rice  has been polished before brewing

清酒

Seishu

The official name (as far  as taxes are concerned) for sake

焼酎

Shochu

A traditional Japanese  distilled beverage

酒母

Shubo

The yeast starter for a  batch of sake

杜氏

Toji

The head brewer at a kura