イガイ

イ

ガ

イ

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

Korean mussel; Mytilus coruscus

usually written using kana alone

A species of mussel found in East Asian waters, often used in Japanese cuisine.

イガイは韓かん国こく料りょう理りによく使つかわれる貝かいです。
The Korean mussel is a shellfish often used in Korean cuisine.
市いち場ばで新しん鮮せんなイガイを買かった。
I bought fresh Korean mussels at the market.

See all 7 example sentences ›

Kanji

貽leave behind, gift
貝shellfish

Related words

ムール
イガイ is the native Japanese biological name for mussels, whereas ムール is the French‑derived word used in casual and culinary contexts.

Word family

ムラサキイガイ
Mediterranean mussel
ミドリイガイ
Asian green mussel
イガイダマシ
black-striped mussel (Mytilopsis sallei)
ヨーロッパイガイ
blue mussel; common mussel

Written forms

イガイUsage80%
kana-only spelling
Usually written in katakana; the kanji form 貽貝 is rare.
貽い貝がいUsage20%
Rare kanji form; learners will almost always encounter the kana spellings.
いがい
Hiragana spelling, also common.

Etymology

The reading いがい is the native Japanese name for this mussel. The kanji 貽 is rare and used here for its meaning 'mussel'; the exact derivation is uncertain.