Quick Reference

Meaning & Definition

Futsukayoi is the everyday Japanese word for a hangover, the pounding head and queasy stomach that show up the morning after one drink too many. It is one of the most useful words to know if you will ever be invited to a nomikai (work drinking party) in Japan, because it comes up constantly the following morning.

Futsukayoi splits into futsuka (futsuka, meaning two days or the second day) and yoi (yoi, intoxication, from the verb 酔う/you, to get drunk). Put together, it literally describes drunkenness that spills over into the next day. It functions as a noun, so it pairs directly with da or desu: futsukayoi da (I have a hangover) or futsukayoi ni natta (I ended up with a hangover). Because after-work nomikai are a fixture of Japanese office life, futsukayoi is practically a Monday-morning ritual word among coworkers. Convenience stores (konbini) dedicate whole shelves to remedies for it, most famously ukon (turmeric) drinks such as Ukon no Chikara, which people drink either before a night out or the morning after to ease the symptoms.

How to Use It

The underlying verb yoi/you (酔う) covers more than alcohol. It also describes motion sickness, as in norimono-yoi (vehicle sickness) or kuruma-yoi (car sickness). Futsukayoi narrows that broader meaning down specifically to the alcohol-related, next-day version, so it would sound wrong to use it for feeling sick on a bus or boat. It is a plain, casual noun with no formal-versus-informal distinction to track: the same word works in a text to a friend, a comment to a coworker, or a note to a pharmacist.

Example Sentences

Cultural Context

Futsukayoi is closely tied to Japan’s nomikai culture, the after-work drinking parties where colleagues and bosses gather to unwind, toast with a shared kanpai, and often keep pouring for each other well into the night. Attendance can feel semi-obligatory in many companies, and turning down a superior’s drink is considered awkward, so the next-day futsukayoi becomes a shared, almost bonding experience among coworkers who trade tired grimaces and complaints at their desks the following morning.

Because futsukayoi is so common, an entire commercial ecosystem has grown around treating it. Konbini chains sell dedicated hangover-prevention drinks like Ukon no Chikara, along with electrolyte waters, vitamin shots, and stomach-settling tablets displayed near the register. Older home remedies persist too, such as sipping amazake (sweet fermented rice drink) or eating umeboshi (pickled plum) for its sourness, reflecting a culture that treats the morning-after hangover less as an embarrassment and more as a routine, manageable inconvenience of adult social life.

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