Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 が 鮎あゆ を 釣つ る for someone to catch sweetfish
In summer, more people go fishing for ayu in the rivers.
鮎あゆ を 塩しお 焼や きにする to salt-grill ayu
That restaurant serves ayu grilled with salt.
鮎あゆ が 旬しゅん を 迎むか える for ayu to come into season
Ayu comes into season around June.
Counted with 鮎 is typically counted with 尾 in formal or culinary contexts, treating each fish as a whole specimen.
鮎 can also be counted with 匹 , the everyday counter used for small animals and fish in casual speech.
Word family· 10 young sweetfish; young ayu
young sweetfish; young ayu
kissing loach
ayu fishing
razorfish; Aeoliscus strigatus
Show 5 more Show fewer Ryukyu sweetfish
sweetfish going downstream to spawn in autumn
ayu sushi; sweetfish sushi
fourspine sculpin; Cottus kazika
ayu fishing; sweetfish fishing
Written forms アユ Usage 44%
kana-only spelling
Common katakana spelling; usually written in kana.
鮎あゆ Usage 49%
Standard kanji form, but the word is usually written in kana.
あゆ Usage 7%
Common hiragana spelling.
年魚あゆ Usage <1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form meaning 'year fish', referring to its one-year lifespan.
香あ 魚ゆ
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form meaning 'fragrant fish'.
Etymology The origin of the word あゆ is uncertain. The kanji 鮎 is a kokuji (Japanese-made character) combining 魚 (fish) and 占 (divination), possibly from the ancient practice of using ayu to predict the year's harvest.
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
