also: らいひー · らいひい
blotched snakehead (Channa maculata)
A species of snakehead fish; less commonly encountered in Japan compared to the northern snakehead.
See also: タイワンドジョウ
northern snakehead (Channa argus)
Only with reading らいぎょ
The most well-known snakehead species in Japan; often simply called 雷魚. Reading is restricted to らいぎょ.
See also: カムルチー
The blotched snakehead, a type of snakehead fish, is distributed in Taiwan and southern China.
The northern snakehead is also called 雷魚 and is popular as a game fish.
Standard kanji spelling for the snakehead fish.
Rare katakana spelling reflecting a dialectal or older loan adaptation; not common in modern standard Japanese.
Rare katakana spelling variant; not common in modern standard Japanese.
The kanji 雷 (thunder) and 魚 (fish) may refer to the snakehead's aggressive behavior or appearance, but the exact origin is uncertain. The reading らいぎょ is the on'yomi of the kanji. The katakana forms ライヒー and ライヒイ likely derive from a Chinese dialectal pronunciation.