General term for sharks; commonly written in katakana as サメ.
I saw a news report about a surfer being attacked by a shark.
Yesterday I saw a big shark at the aquarium.
Sharks are creatures at the top of the ocean food chain.
エイ (rays) and サメ (sharks) are both cartilaginous fish that learners often lump together, but エイ have flattened bodies and gill slits on their underside while サメ have torpedo-shaped bodies and lateral gill slits.
Katakana spelling is common and matches usual-kana usage; the hiragana reading is さめ.
Kanji form is recognized but less common in everyday writing; usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling is also used, though katakana is more typical for animal names.
The origin is uncertain; the word is native Japanese. The kanji 鮫 is a phono-semantic compound with 魚 (fish) and 交 (mix, exchange), but the exact historical derivation is unclear.
bull shark
brownbanded bambooshark
Japanese bullhead shark; bullhead shark
spotless smooth-hound; Mustelus griseus
Japanese angel shark
spinner shark; long-nose grey shark