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Kotomora

鮫

shark

FrequencyTop 5,000Strokes17

Readings

On'yomi

  • コウ

Kun'yomi

  • さめ
  • みずち

Meaning

鮫 centers on the shark, a large predatory fish. The meaning is straightforward and specific to this animal.

Most common words using 鮫

20 of 66
  • 鮫さめ

    shark

  • 蝶鮫ちょうざめ

    sturgeon (esp. the green sturgeon, Acipenser medirostris)

  • 小判鮫こばんざめ

    remora (any fish of family Echeneidae); suckerfish; sharksucker

  • 頬白鮫ほおじろざめ

    great white shark; white pointer (Carcharodon carcharias)

  • アメリカ七日鮫アメリカなぬかざめ

    swellshark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum, species of catshark in the Eastern Pacific)

  • インド撞木鮫インドしゅもくざめ

    winghead shark (Eusphyra blochii, species of Indo-West Pacific hammerhead shark)

  • カリフォルニア猫鮫カリフォルニアねこざめ

    horn shark (Heterodontus francisci, bullhead shark from the Eastern Pacific); Californian bullhead shark

  • ダウリア蝶鮫ダウリアちょうざめ

    kaluga (Huso dauricus); river beluga

  • ペレス目白鮫ペレスめじろざめ

    Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezii, species of requiem shark found in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Brazil)

  • 七日鮫なぬかざめ

    blotchy swell shark (Cephaloscyllium umbratile)

  • 井守鮫いもりざめ

    salamander shark (Parmaturus pilosus)

  • 坂田鮫さかたざめ

    yellow guitarfish (Rhinobatos schlegelii)

  • 墨付鮫すみつきざめ

    whitecheek shark (Carcharhinus dussumieri)

  • 変わり蝶鮫かわりちょうざめ

    sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus)

  • 大目白鮫おおめじろざめ

    bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

  • 大蝶鮫おおちょうざめ

    beluga (species of sturgeon, Huso huso)

  • 子守鮫こもりざめ

    nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum)

  • 小蝶鮫こちょうざめ

    sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus)

  • 小鮫鶲こさめびたき

    Asian brown flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)

  • 尾長鮫おながざめ

    thresher shark (esp. the common thresher shark, Alopias vulpinus)

Explore all words using 鮫 →

Study

Etymology

鮫 combines 魚 (fish) with 交, which likely contributes the sound. The character was created to specifically denote a shark.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side is a fish 魚, and the right side 交 looks like a cross or intersection. Imagine a shark's fin cutting through the water like a crossing blade: a fish with a crossing fin is a shark.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, picture a shark swimming in a cove: cove -> コウ, and the shark glides through the cove's water.