Translation guide
Describes a state of extreme intoxication where a person is unconscious or nearly unconscious from alcohol. Japanese has several vivid expressions, ranging from casual slang to more formal terms.
彼は泥酔していた。
He was dead drunk.
To describe someone who is so drunk they are unconscious or unable to function.
Literally 'mud-drunk'. A common and vivid expression for being dead drunk, often implying loss of control or consciousness.
彼は昨夜泥酔して道で寝ていた。
He was dead drunk last night and slept on the street.
Means 'to drink oneself into a stupor' or 'to collapse from drinking'. Emphasizes the physical collapse or passing out.
A colloquial, onomatopoeic term for being completely wasted, often used in casual conversation.
Mimetic word for being extremely drunk, often implying a sloppy, helpless state.
A formal or literary term for being heavily intoxicated, often used in legal or medical contexts.
彼は酩酊状態で逮捕された。
He was arrested while dead drunk.
泥酔 focuses on the state of being extremely drunk, while 酔いつぶれる emphasizes the action of drinking to the point of collapse. 泥酔 can be used for someone who is still conscious but heavily impaired, whereas 酔いつぶれる usually implies passing out.
Do not translate 'dead drunk' literally as 死んだように酔っている. Use the idiomatic expressions above.
彼はパーティーで酔いつぶれてしまった。
He got dead drunk at the party and passed out.
昨日はへべれけになるまで飲んだ。
Yesterday I drank until I was dead drunk.
彼はぐでんぐでんに酔っ払っていた。
He was dead drunk.