身み欠がきにしん

み

が

き

に

し

ん

Meanings

1

noun

dried, sliced herring

A traditional preserved food: herring that has been gutted, split open, and dried. Often used in simmered dishes or as a topping.

欠が

き

にしん

を

使つか

う

地ち

域いき

も

あり

ます

。

In some regions, dried sliced herring is used in New Year's osechi dishes.

身欠きにしん
- みがきにしん
  Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
- みかきにしん
身欠きニシン
- みがきにしん
  Katakana variant for the fish part; common in food contexts.
- みかきにしん
身欠き鰊
- みがきにしん
  Full kanji spelling using 鰊 for にしん; rarely used.
- みかきにしん
ミガキニシン
kana-only spelling
Full katakana spelling; common in product labels or menus.
みかきにしん

にしん
にしん is the general term for herring (fresh or as a fish), while 身欠きにしん specifically refers to the dried, split, and gutted preparation.
干ひ物もの
干物 is a broad category of dried fish, whereas 身欠きにしん is a specific type of dried herring product.

From 身欠き (migaki, 'split open body') + にしん (nishin, 'herring'). The reading みがきにしん is standard; みかきにしん is a common variant.