酒屋

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 酒屋(さかや) means a liquor store. Unlike the standalone 酒(さけ), this compound reads the first part as さか.
• Basic usage: It appears in scenes of buying alcohol or asking store staff to choose a product.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• How it differs from 居酒屋
  • 酒屋 focuses on a shop selling alcohol; 居酒屋(いざかや) focuses on a place where people stay to drink and eat. Distinguish them according to the purpose of the visit.
• A purchasing location and a stop on the way
  • 酒屋で買う uses で for the place of purchase. 酒屋へ寄る uses へ for the destination of a brief visit.