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スマ (すま) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

スマ

Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

noun

mackerel tuna; little tuna; kawakawa

usually written using kana alone

A species of tuna (Euthynnus affinis) found in warm waters. In Japanese, often encountered in fishing or culinary contexts.

スマは沿えん岸がんでよく釣つれる小こ型がたのマグロです。
The mackerel tuna is a small tuna often caught near the coast.
この刺さし身みはスマを使つかっています。
This sashimi uses mackerel tuna.

Written forms

スマUsage75%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard for this fish name; usually written in kana.
すまUsage25%
Hiragana spelling is also used, though katakana is more common for fish names.
須す万ま
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
須

す

萬ま

rarely-used kanji form

Rare kanji form using the old form of 万; it is rarely used.

Kanji

須ought, by all means, necessarily
万ten thousand, 10,000
萬ten thousand, 10,000

Similar words

マグロ
マグロ is the general term for tuna, while スマ refers specifically to the mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis), a smaller species.
カツオ
カツオ (skipjack tuna) is a different species, though both are used in similar dishes; スマ is less common and has a milder flavor.

Etymology

The origin of the name スマ is uncertain. It may be a local or fishermen's term that became standardized. The kanji 須万 and 須萬 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) and are rarely used.