鯵
horse mackerel
Readings
On'yomi
- ソウ
Kun'yomi
- あじ
Meaning
鯵 refers specifically to the horse mackerel, a type of fish. The meaning is narrow and concrete, centered on this particular fish species.
Most common words using 鯵
- 鯵あじN1
horse mackerel (Carangidae spp., esp. the Japanese horse mackerel, Trachurus japonicus); jack mackerel; pompano; scad
- 刺青蒟蒻鯵いれずみこんにゃくあじ
ragfish (Icosteus aenigmaticus)
- 室鯵むろあじ
brownstriped mackerel scad (Decapterus muroadsi)
- 浪人鯵ろうにんあじ
giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis)
- 真鯵まあじ
Japanese jack mackerel; Japanese horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus)
- 秋鯵あきあじ
horse mackerel caught in autumn
- 銀紙鯵ぎんがめあじ
bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus); bigeye jack; great trevally; six-banded trevally; dusky jack
- 銀鯵しろがねあじ
lookdown (Selene vomer)
- 開き鯵ひらきあじ
split and dried saurel
- 鯵フライあじフライ
deep-fried horse mackerel
- 黒平鯵くろひらあじ
blue trevally (Carangoides ferdau); banded trevally; barred trevally; Ferdau's trevally; Forskaal's jackfish
Study
Etymology
鯵 is a phono-semantic compound: the fish radical 魚 indicates the meaning 'fish', while 参 likely contributes the sound ソウ. The character was created to name the horse mackerel.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 魚 means fish, and the right side 参 looks like a person joining a feast. Imagine a horse mackerel joining a seafood platter.
Reading mnemonic
For ソウ, picture a horse mackerel swimming in the sea with a soulful expression: soul -> ソウ, and the fish looks deep in thought.