酔っ払い

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 酔っ払い (よっぱらい) is a noun for a drunk person and is related to the verb 酔っ払う.
• Basic usage: It labels the person, rather than merely describing the state of being intoxicated.
  • 駅前で酔っ払いが大声で歌っていた。 — A drunk person was singing loudly in front of the station.
  • 物語の酔っ払いは翌朝何も覚えていなかった。 — The drunkard in the story remembered nothing the next morning.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Person and condition
  • 酔っ払い is a noun naming a drunk person, while 酔っている describes being drunk. Directly calling someone 酔っ払い can sound rough or disparaging.