Translation guide
In Japanese, 'dried fish' can refer to various preserved seafood products, from everyday snacks to traditional ingredients. The most common term is 干物 (himono), but specific types have their own names.
The speaker wants to refer to dried fish as a common food item, often grilled and eaten with rice.
The most common and general term for dried fish, typically salted and semi-dried, then grilled. A staple in Japanese home cooking.
I grilled some dried fish for breakfast.
Literally 'fish himono', used when you need to be clear you're talking about fish (not squid or other seafood).
Dried fish keeps for a long time.
The speaker is referring to small, crunchy dried fish eaten as a snack or used as a topping.
Small dried sardines, often used for making dashi broth, but also eaten as a snack or topping. Very common.
The speaker is referring to very hard, fully dried fish used as a preserved food or ingredient.
A general term for fish that has been completely dried until hard. Often used in traditional preserved foods.
The speaker specifically means the shaved dried fish used as a topping or for dashi.
The speaker is talking about dried fish in a historical or cultural sense, such as a regional specialty.
Still the go-to word, but often used in names of local specialties.
干物 (himono) usually refers to fish that is salted and semi-dried, meant to be grilled. 干し魚 (hoshiuo) is fully dried and hard, often used in preserved foods or rehydrated in cooking. In casual conversation, 干物 is the default.
If you want to buy dried fish at a supermarket, look for 干物 (himono) in the fish section. For small dried fish like niboshi or jako, check the dried goods aisle.
I bought some dried fish at the market.
This dried fish is a bit salty.
I make broth from dried sardines.
Eating dried sardines as they are gives you calcium.
Tiny dried fish (often baby sardines). Used as a topping for rice, in salads, or as a snack. Also called ちりめんじゃこ.
I sprinkle tiny dried fish over rice.
Literally 'small fish', often used for mixed small dried fish snacks. Can also refer to fresh small fish.
I like small fish simmered in soy sauce.
Dried fish is valued as a preserved food.
While 干物 usually refers to semi-dried fish, it can also encompass fully dried fish in some contexts.
This dried fish is rock hard.
Dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna. Shaved into flakes, it's a fundamental Japanese ingredient.
I put dried bonito flakes on okonomiyaki.
The dried fish from this region is famous.
Can sound more traditional or rustic.
In the past, dried fish was a valuable source of protein.
Dried fish is a good source of protein.