晩酌

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Spelling: 晩酌. Reading: ばんしゃく. Core meaning: evening drink; drink with dinner.
• Basic usage: Representative examples: 小説の老人は一日の終わりに晩酌を楽しむ / 父は晩酌の席で昔の旅を語った.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A drink at the end of the day
  • 晩酌 is an alcoholic drink, and the occasion for it, taken with dinner or at the end of the day. It more strongly suggests a customary evening drinking occasion than merely encountering alcohol at night.