ヒラマサ

ヒ

ラ

マ

サ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

yellowtail amberjack

usually written using kana alone

A species of fish (Seriola lalandi), commonly known as yellowtail amberjack. In Japanese cuisine, it is prized as a high-quality sashimi and sushi fish, similar to hamachi (young yellowtail) but larger and with a firmer texture.

市いち場ばで新しん鮮せんなヒラマサを買かって、刺さし身みにした。
I bought fresh yellowtail amberjack at the market and made sashimi.
ヒラマサはブリよりも身みが締しまっていて美味おいしい。
Yellowtail amberjack has firmer flesh than Japanese amberjack and is delicious.

Kanji

平even, flat, peace
政politics, government

Related words

ブリ
ブリ (Japanese amberjack) is a closely related species often compared to ヒラマサ. ヒラマサ has a more elongated body and is considered to have a firmer, slightly sweeter flesh, making it highly valued for sashimi.
ハマチ
ハマチ is the young stage of ブリ, while ヒラマサ is a different species. ハマチ is milder and softer; ヒラマサ is larger, firmer, and often preferred by connoisseurs.

Written forms

ヒラマサUsage75%
kana-only spelling
Standard katakana spelling for this fish name, as is common for many fish species.
平ひら政まさUsage25%
Kanji form is rarely used; the fish name is almost always written in kana.
ひらまさ
Hiragana spelling, also seen but less common than katakana for this species.

Etymology

The name ヒラマサ likely derives from 平 (hira, 'flat') and 政 (masa, possibly an old name for a type of fish). The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects the fish's somewhat flattened body shape compared to other amberjacks.