Japanese common squid; Pacific flying squid
The most common squid species in Japanese waters, widely used in cuisine. Scientific name: Todarodes pacificus.
See also: スルメイカ
A cuttlefish species, Sepia esculenta, also known as 甲烏賊. Less common than the squid sense.
See also: 甲烏賊
A small cuttlefish species, Sepiella japonica, also called 尻焼烏賊. Rare in everyday language.
See also: シリヤケイカ
Japanese common squid is eaten as sashimi or tempura.
Pacific flying squid is caught in large numbers in the seas around Japan.
The golden cuttlefish is a different species from the Japanese common squid and has a cuttlebone.
The Japanese spineless cuttlefish is sometimes considered a type of 真烏賊, but it is taxonomically distinct.
The golden cuttlefish, Sepia esculenta, which is one of the alternate meanings of 真烏賊.
Standard kanji spelling for this squid species.
Katakana spelling is common in culinary and commercial contexts.
The kanji 真 (true) and 烏賊 (squid/cuttlefish) together indicate a 'true squid/cuttlefish', likely referring to the most representative species. The reading まいか is a kun'yomi-based compound reading.