How to say “Cheers” in Japanese
How to say cheers in Japanese: 乾杯 works everywhere — no polite form exists — but the toast etiquette matters. Native audio plus an AI grader that scores your kanpai.
乾杯！
Cheers!
乾杯！
Cheers!
When to use which
乾杯 (kanpai) is the toast, and it's one of the rare Japanese phrases with no register split at all — the identical word works at a wedding banquet and a standing bar. Literally it means "dry the cup," but the literal meaning is long dead: nobody expects you to drain your glass, and nursing your drink after the toast is completely normal.
Because the word itself can't carry politeness, the etiquette does. Wait until everyone has a drink — the first sip comes after the toast, not before, and starting early is the actual faux pas. In formal or work settings, someone senior usually gives a short speech that ends in 乾杯, and everyone echoes it back. When you clink glasses with someone above you, angling your rim slightly below theirs is a small, noticed courtesy.
One warning for European toasters: leave "chin chin" at home. ちんちん in Japanese is childish slang for male genitals, and the Italian toast lands exactly the way that sounds. 乾杯 is the only word you need — short, said loudly, said in unison. It may be the most social sentence on this page: you will only ever say it in a group, on cue, which is a decent argument for having rehearsed it alone first.
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乾杯 is the rare Japanese word with no polite form; the politeness moved into the etiquette — when you drink, how you clink, and how low you hold your glass.
Frequently asked
What does 乾杯 literally mean?
"Dry the cup" — the same image as the old English toast "bottoms up." In modern use the literal meaning is gone: you toast, you sip, and finishing the glass is entirely optional.
Is there a polite version of 乾杯?
No — the word is the same in every setting. Formality shows up around it instead: a senior person leads the toast, everyone waits to drink until after 乾杯, and juniors clink with their glass slightly lower than their senior's.
Why shouldn't you say chin chin when toasting in Japan?
Because ちんちん is childish slang for male genitals in Japanese. The Italian toast "cin cin" sounds exactly like it, so it reliably gets either laughter or winces. Stick to 乾杯.
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