ocellated octopus
A small octopus species found in coastal waters of East Asia, often used in Japanese cuisine.
Ocellated octopus is delicious when simmered in soy sauce.
春になるとイイダコが市場に出回る。
In spring, ocellated octopus appears in the markets.
Katakana spelling is common for this species name; usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling, also common.
Kanji form is rare and mainly encountered in specialized contexts or older texts.
The name イイダコ is thought to derive from 飯 (いい, 'rice') + 蛸 (たこ, 'octopus'), possibly because its eggs resemble grains of rice. The exact origin is uncertain.