魚
さかな
hepburn sakana
fish
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 日本人は魚をよく食べます。Japanese people eat fish often.
- 魚屋で新鮮な魚を買いました。I bought fresh fish at the fishmonger.
Collocations
魚 (sakana, fish — culinary)魚屋 (sakanaya, fishmonger)焼き魚 (yakizakana, grilled fish)刺身 (sashimi, raw fish slices)魚介類 (gyokairui, seafood)
Mnemonic
魚 sakana — covers both "fish" and "edible fish". Japan's island food culture multiplies fish vocabulary: cuts, cooking styles, seasonal names branch finely. Onyomi ぎょ (gyo): 魚介類 (gyokairui, seafood), 金魚 (kingyo, goldfish). Kanji 魚 still pictures a fish — head, body, tail, fins visible. Alternate kun うお (uo): 魚屋 can read uoya or sakanaya. One kanji with three readings (sakana / uo / gyo) is a classic trap.
Quick check
Reading and meaning of 金魚?