酔います（よいます、yoimasu）
- to get drunk

The Japanese word 酔います (yoi-masu) primarily means "to get drunk" or "to become intoxicated." It describes the state of being under the influence of alcohol, experiencing the effects of alcohol consumption. It can also figuratively mean "to be fascinated by," "to be infatuated with," or "to be carried away by" something, although the primary meaning relates to alcohol. The verb 酔います is the polite, -masu form of the verb 酔う (you).

⚫︎お酒を飲みすぎて、酔いました。 Translation: I drank too much alcohol and got drunk. ⚫︎彼は彼女に酔っている。 Translation: He is infatuated with her. ⚫︎この映画に酔いしれました。 Translation: I was engrossed in this movie.

⚫︎You would use 酔います in conversations when talking about alcohol consumption and its effects. ⚫︎It's also applicable when describing someone's infatuation or being captivated by something. ⚫︎The polite form, 酔います, is suitable for most situations. Using the plain form 酔う is acceptable with close friends and family. ⚫︎The negative form (酔いません, yoi-masen) means "to not get drunk" or "to not be intoxicated."

⚫︎The word is typically written in kanji as 酔います. ⚫︎The hiragana form is 酔います (yoi-masu). ⚫︎The verb stem is 酔 (yo-). ⚫︎There is only one common okurigana (suffix hiragana) for this word.

⚫︎酔っぱらう (yopparau): This is a more casual way of saying "to get drunk." ⚫︎酩酊する (meitei suru): This is a more formal and literary way of saying "to be intoxicated." ⚫︎泥酔する (deisui suru): This means "to be dead drunk," or very drunk. ⚫︎陶酔する (tousui suru): This means to be enraptured or intoxicated in a more figurative sense.

⚫︎There is no single direct antonym. However, to convey the opposite meaning, you could use phrases such as: ⚫︎しらふ (shirafu): sober. ⚫︎お酒に強くない (o-sake ni tsuyoku nai): not strong in alcohol. ⚫︎酔わない (yowanai): not get drunk

飲みすぎて、酔ってしまいました。 ・Translation: I drank too much and got drunk. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the speaker’s condition after drinking too much alcohol. The plain form 酔う is used here because it is combined with the auxiliary verb しまう.

彼の話にすっかり酔ってしまった。 ・Translation: I was completely carried away by his story. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 酔う in a figurative sense, indicating that the speaker was very impressed or fascinated by someone's story.

The kanji 酔 (yo-) is composed of the radicals for "wine" and "consciousness." The origin of 酔う likely stems from observations of how alcohol affects consciousness and behavior.