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Kotomora

魚

fish

JLPTN5StatusJōyō · grade 2FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes11

Readings

On'yomi

  • ギョ

Kun'yomi

  • うお
  • さかな
  • -ざかな

Nanori

  • い

Meaning

魚 centers on the animal fish, a water creature with scales and fins.

Most common words using 魚

20 of 326
  • 魚さかな
    N5

    fish

  • 秋刀魚さんま

    Pacific saury (Cololabis saira); mackerel pike

  • 魚雷ぎょらい

    torpedo

  • 雑魚ざこ

    small fish; small fry

  • 金魚きんぎょ
    N2

    goldfish (Carassius auratus)

  • 人魚にんぎょ

    mermaid; merman

  • 魚籠びく

    fish basket; creel

  • 魚介ぎょかい

    marine products; seafood; fish and shellfish

  • 魚類ぎょるい

    fish; fishes

  • 勇魚いさな

    whale

  • 鮮魚せんぎょ

    fresh fish

  • 翻車魚まんぼう

    ocean sunfish (Mola mola)

  • 熱帯魚ねったいぎょ

    tropical fish

  • 稚魚ちぎょ

    fry; juvenile fish; fingerling

  • 魚肉ぎょにく

    fish meat

  • 深海魚しんかいぎょ

    deep-sea fish

  • 焼き魚やきざかな

    grilled fish

  • 岩魚いわな

    char (esp. the Japanese char, Salvelinus pluvius); charr

  • 魚釣りさかなつり

    fishing

  • 魚屋さかなや

    fish market; fish dealer; fishmonger

Explore all words using 魚 →

Study

Etymology

魚 is a pictograph of a fish, with the modern form showing a stylized head (top), body with scales (middle 田-like shape), and tail (bottom 灬).

Meaning mnemonic

The top part looks like a fish head, the middle 田 suggests its scaly body, and the four dots 灬 at the bottom are its tail fins. Together, 魚 is a fish.

Reading mnemonic

For ギョ, imagine a fish doing a big, exaggerated gyo! sound as it leaps out of the water: gyo -> ギョ.