soju

/ˈsəʊd͡ʒuː/

//ˈsəʊd͡ʒuː// noun

"soju" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“soju” is uncommon English (frequency #65,515 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,515
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Korean distilled alcoholic beverage, similar to shochu.

Key facts for soju
PropertyValue
Headwordsoju
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsəʊd͡ʒuː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#65,515
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “soju” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). soju lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

soju is uncommon English at frequency #65,515 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsəʊd͡ʒuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A Korean distilled alcoholic beverage, similar to shochu.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for soju, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Korean 소주(燒酒) (soju). Compare Mandarin 燒酒 /烧酒 (shāojiǔ), Japanese 焼酎 (shōchū, “shōchū”). Doublet of shaojiu and shochu. The correct English form is soju, spelled S-O-J-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Korean distilled alcoholic beverage, similar to shochu.

Etymology

From Korean 소주(燒酒) (soju). Compare Mandarin 燒酒 /烧酒 (shāojiǔ), Japanese 焼酎 (shōchū, “shōchū”). Doublet of shaojiu and shochu.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "soju"?
"soju" is spelled S-O-J-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsəʊd͡ʒuː/.
What does "soju" mean?
As a noun, "soju" means: A Korean distilled alcoholic beverage, similar to shochu.
How do you pronounce "soju"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "soju" is /ˈsəʊd͡ʒuː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "soju"?
From Korean 소주(燒酒) (soju). Compare Mandarin 燒酒 /烧酒 (shāojiǔ), Japanese 焼酎 (shōchū, “shōchū”). Doublet of shaojiu and shochu. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “soju”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-O-J-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsəʊd͡ʒuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list