What Is 소주 (Soju)? Korea's Signature Spirit, Explained
Written and reviewed by Jun and Jin, native Korean speakers
Published · Updated · How we write & review
After this page, you can drink 소주 (soju) the Korean way and know how strong it really is.
10-second answer
What Is 소주 (Soju)?
소주 (soju) is Korea's most iconic alcoholic drink — a clear, distilled spirit, traditionally made from grains like rice or barley (many mass-market bottles today use diluted ethanol from other starches like sweet potato). It usually comes in a distinctive green bottle, is drunk from small shot-style glasses, and shows up constantly alongside food like samgyeopsal and chicken.
Quick check — did that land?
1. What does 소맥 refer to?
See the green bottle everywhere in Korea? That's 소주.
Quick Examples
소주 한 병 주세요.
soju han byeong juseyo.
One bottle of soju, please.
소맥 마실래?
somaek masillae?
Want a soju-beer mix?
소맥 (somaek) = 소주 + 맥주 (beer), a hugely popular mixed drink.
See also: Korean drinking etiquette
The Basics
| Trait | Typical value |
|---|---|
| ABV (alcohol content) | About 16% for the big green-bottle brands (some now 15.7%); a few 'original' lines are around 20% |
| Bottle | Small, green glass bottle — instantly recognizable |
| Serving | Small shot glasses, poured for others (see drinking etiquette) |
| Price | Very affordable — one of the cheapest alcoholic drinks by volume in Korea |
소주's low price and wide availability make it a default social drink rather than an occasional treat — it's genuinely everyday, not fancy or ceremonial.
How It's Actually Drunk
Soju follows all the drinking etiquette rules covered elsewhere on this site: you don't pour your own glass, you use two hands to pour for or receive from someone older, and you turn slightly away when drinking in front of an elder. It's almost always drunk WITH food, not alone — pairing especially with grilled meat (삼겹살), fried chicken (치맥), and other 안주 (drinking snacks).
How Strong Is Soju, Exactly?
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Alcohol content (ABV) | The big green-bottle brands are about 16% today — 참이슬 후레쉬 dropped from 16.5% to 16% in 2024, and 처음처럼 reached 16% in 2025. In 2026 the main brands started dropping again, to 15.7%. Older soju ran 20–25%, and a few original lines still sell at about 20%. |
| Bottle size | 360ml, the standard green-bottle size. |
| Shots per bottle | About 7 — a soju glass holds about 50–55 ml full, and filled the usual 70–80%, one bottle pours seven glasses. Koreans often joke that seven is no accident: two people get three each with one left over, three people get two each with one left over — the perfect excuse to order 한 병 더 (one more bottle). |
| Standard drinks per bottle | About 3.2 US standard drinks (14 g of pure alcohol each): 360 ml at 16% ABV is 57.6 ml of alcohol, about 45 g. |
| Compared to beer | One 360ml bottle holds about as much alcohol as three 355ml beers at 5% ABV — but soju is drunk in shots, not sipped, so it hits faster. |
Why the number varies online
Older sources quote 19–20% because that was normal into the early 2010s — 처음처럼 launched at 20% in 2006 and was still 18% in 2014. Brands have lowered it step by step since, following drinkers' shift toward milder soju. Today the big green-bottle brands sit around 16% or just under (15.7% for some since 2026), while a few original lines still sell at about 20%. Always check the label.
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Sipping it like wine
Soju shots are traditionally drunk in one go (원샷, "one shot"), not sipped slowly, though this is loosening up with younger and more casual settings.
Mistake #2 — Drinking without food
Soju is deeply tied to meal culture — drinking it with no 안주 (snack/side dish) at all is unusual.
Mini Quiz
2. What's the typical ABV range for mainstream soju?
3. How is soju typically consumed?
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
Soju is rarely drunk alone — anju is the food culture that always comes with it.
Will you remember this tomorrow?
Save it — your daily review brings it back right before you'd forget. No account needed.