--- title: "Kirin vs Suntory: Which is more popular?" description: "Is Kirin or Suntory more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Japanese beer brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/kirin-vs-suntory-beer" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Kirin vs Suntory: Which is more popular? Is Kirin or Suntory more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Japanese beer brands set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Kirin and Suntory - **Competitive set**: Japanese beer brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **Kirin Share of Search**: 20.5% - **Suntory Share of Search**: 3% ## Is Kirin or Suntory more popular in search? - In October 2026, Kirin had more branded searches than Suntory among Japanese beer brands worldwide. Kirin had about 82,600 branded searches, while Suntory had 12,100. Kirin made up 20.5% of all Japanese beer brand searches we track, and Suntory accounted for 3%. - Kirin was ahead of Suntory in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Kirin’s share of searches among Japanese beer brands worldwide moved from 18.9% to 20.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.2K to 82.6K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Suntory’s share of searches among Japanese beer brands worldwide moved from 2.5% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.1K to 12.1K. ## Top Japanese beer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kirin appeared in all five answers. Suntory was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Kirin was listed before Suntory in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Asahi | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Sapporo | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Kirin | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Yebisu | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Suntory | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Hitachino Nest | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Orion | 7th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about Japanese beer brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which Japanese beer should I try?": 1. Asahi, 2. Sapporo, 3. Kirin, 4. Yebisu, 5. Hitachino Nest - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best Japanese beer brands?": 1. Asahi, 2. Sapporo, 3. Kirin, 4. Yebisu, 5. Hitachino Nest, 6. Suntory, 7. Orion - Asked ChatGPT "What's a good Japanese beer to drink with sushi?": 1. Asahi, 2. Sapporo, 3. Kirin, 4. Yebisu - Searched Google, AI Overview "japanese beer": 1. Asahi, 2. Kirin, 3. Sapporo, 4. Suntory, 5. Orion, 6. Yebisu, 7. Hitachino Nest - Searched Google, AI Overview "japanese beer brands": 1. Asahi, 2. Kirin, 3. Sapporo, 4. Suntory, 5. Orion, 6. Hitachino Nest, 7. Yebisu Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 25, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for Japanese beer brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, Suntory overtook Yebisu to rank 5th among Japanese beer brands worldwide, with 3% of the searches. - In October 2026, Kirin gained share of searches among Japanese beer brands worldwide, from 19.2% to 20.5%. ## How has branded search for Kirin and Suntory changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | Kirin estimated searches | Kirin Share of Search | Kirin rank | Suntory estimated searches | Suntory Share of Search | Suntory rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 60.2K | 18.9% | 3 | 8.1K | 2.5% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 66.2K | 20.6% | 3 | 8.1K | 2.5% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 60.2K | 20.4% | 3 | 6.6K | 2.2% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 54.2K | 19% | 3 | 6.6K | 2.3% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 60.2K | 20.4% | 3 | 6.6K | 2.2% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 60.2K | 20.3% | 3 | 8.1K | 2.7% | 6 | | May 2026 | 73.6K | 22.2% | 3 | 8.1K | 2.4% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 67.6K | 19.5% | 3 | 6.6K | 1.9% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 67.6K | 22.1% | 3 | 6.6K | 2.2% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 73.6K | 20.3% | 3 | 8.1K | 2.2% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 67.6K | 19.2% | 3 | 8.1K | 2.3% | 6 | | Oct 2026 | 82.6K | 20.5% | 3 | 12.1K | 3% | 5 | ## How are Kirin’s and Suntory’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kirin’s and Suntory’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Kirin**: Measured on the search terms “kirin beer” and “kirin ichiban”, summed into one figure. - **Suntory**: Measured on the search term “suntory beer”. - [Kirin profile](/demand/global-en/brands/kirin) - [Suntory profile](/demand/global-en/brands/suntory-beer) - [All Japanese beer brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/japanese-beer-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Kirin or Suntory more popular in search? In October 2026, Kirin had more branded searches than Suntory among Japanese beer brands worldwide. Kirin had about 82,600 branded searches, while Suntory had 12,100. Kirin made up 20.5% of all Japanese beer brand searches we track, and Suntory accounted for 3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Kirin vs Suntory: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/kirin-vs-suntory-beer This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/kirin-vs-suntory-beer. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.