飲み会
のみかい
nomikai
= drinking party; social gathering centered on drinking
飲み会 (nomikai) is the Japanese social institution of the workplace or group drinking party — a structured social event that plays an enormous role in how relationships are built, maintained, and navigated in Japanese professional and social life. Nomikai are common after work, during end-of-year parties (忘年会, bounenkai), and at new year gatherings (新年会, shinnenkai), and understanding them is essential for anyone working or socializing in Japan.
Nomikai (飲み会) literally means ‘drinking gathering’ — a social event organized around drinking (usually beer, sake, highballs, or cocktails) at an izakaya or restaurant. Key related nomikai events: 歓迎会 (kangeikai — welcome party for new member), 送別会 (soubetukai — farewell party), 忘年会 (bounenkai — year-end party, ‘forget the year party’), 新年会 (shinnenkai — new year party), 打ち上げ (uchiage — celebration party after an event/project). Related vocabulary: 幹事 (kanji — party organizer), 一次会 (ichijikai — first venue of the evening), 二次会 (nijikai — second venue, continues after first), お通し (otooshi — automatic appetizer charge at izakaya).
Nomikai carry a complex social function in Japan. They are simultaneously genuinely social occasions and semi-mandatory work obligations. Skipping a 職場の飲み会 (shokuba no nomikai — workplace drinking party) too frequently can be seen as antisocial or as signaling unwillingness to integrate with the team. However, younger Japanese generations (ゆとり世代 and Z世代) have increasingly pushed back against mandatory nomikai culture. The designated 幹事 (kanji — organizer) has a demanding job: selecting the venue, managing the budget, ensuring everyone has drinks, collecting money, and orchestrating 乾杯 (kanpai — the toast).
飲み会 (nomikai) combines 飲み (nomi — the conjunctive form of 飲む, nomu — to drink) + 会 (kai — meeting, gathering, association). The same 会 (kai) pattern appears in many Japanese social gathering words: 勉強会 (benkyoukai — study group), 送別会 (soubetukai — farewell party), 同窓会 (dousoukai — alumni reunion). 飲む (nomu — to drink) is an everyday verb; 飲み会 is simply ‘the gathering for drinking.’
Everyday use
来週の飲み会、参加できますか？忘年会の幹事をお願いしたくて。
Raishuu no nomikai, sanka dekimasu ka? Bounenkai no kanji wo o-negai shitakute.
Can you come to next week’s drinking party? I wanted to ask you to be the organizer for the year-end party.
Casual / Social Media
今日の飲み会、二次会まで行ったら終電なくなった。タクシー代痛い
Kyou no nomikai, nijikai made ittara shuuden nakunatta. Takushii-dai itai
Went to the second venue of tonight’s drinking party and missed the last train. The taxi fare hurts
Formal / Cultural context
日本の職場における飲み会は、職務上の緊張関係を緩和し非公式な情報交換と関係強化を促進するインフォーマル・コミュニケーションの場として機能してきたが、パワハラ防止法の施行・アルコールハラスメント（アルハラ）意識の高まりとともに、参加強制や飲酒強要を問題視する風潮も強まっている。
Nihon no shokuba ni okeru nomikai wa, shokumu-jou no kinchookankei wo kanwa shi hikoushiki na jouhokoukantoukankei kyouka wo sokushin suru infoomaru komyunikeshon no ba toshite kinoushite kita ga, pawaharaa boushi-hou no seku alfukushasasoo ishiki no takamari to tomo ni, sanka kyousei ya inshuu kyouyou wo mondai-shi suru fuuchou mo tsuyomatte iru.
Drinking parties in Japanese workplaces have functioned as venues for informal communication that relax workplace tensions and promote informal information exchange and relationship building, but with the enforcement of the Power Harassment Prevention Act and growing awareness of alcohol harassment (aruharassment), the trend of treating mandatory attendance and forced drinking as problematic has also strengthened.
忘年会 (bounenkai — literally ‘forget-the-year party’) held in December is the most important nomikai of the year in Japanese corporate culture. It’s a time for the entire office or department to gather, eat, drink, and symbolically leave the year’s troubles and stresses behind. The bounenkai season (忘年会シーズン) in December fills izakaya across Japan to capacity — reservations must often be made months in advance. The year-end party is when workplace hierarchies relax slightly, speeches are made, and people who rarely speak in the office can interact more freely.
The 二次会 (nijikai — second party) culture is an important part of nomikai. After the main nomikai at an izakaya ends (typically 2 hours, timed by the 飲み放題/nomihodai — all-you-can-drink plan), a subset of the group continues to a second venue — often a karaoke bar, a bar, or a smaller restaurant. The nijikai is typically more casual and self-selected — only those who genuinely want to continue attend. A 三次会 (sanjikai — third party) follows the same pattern. These multi-venue evenings can extend well past midnight, and missing the last train (終電, shuuden) is an occupational hazard of enthusiastic nomikai participation.
Disclosure: This site may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.