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年取り魚 (としとりざかな) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

年とし取とり魚ざかな

Meanings

1

noun

fish served with white rice on New Year's Eve

food / cooking

A traditional dish eaten on Ōmisoka (New Year's Eve), often associated with regional customs. The term is specific to food culture.

See also: 年取り

大おお晦日みそかには年とし取とり魚ざかなを食たべる習しゅう慣かんが残のこっている地ち域いきもある。
In some regions, the custom of eating toshitorizakana on New Year's Eve still remains.

Kanji

年year, counter for years
取take, fetch, take up
魚fish

Similar words

年とし取とり
年取り refers to the act of seeing out the old year or the New Year's Eve celebration itself, while 年取り魚 specifically denotes the fish dish served on that occasion.

Etymology

Compound of 年取り (toshitori, 'seeing out the old year') + 魚 (sakana, 'fish'). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it is a traditional term for a New Year's Eve fish dish.