Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

ヤリイカ (やりいか) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ヤリイカ

や

り

い

か

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

spear squid

usually written using kana alone

A species of squid (Loligo bleekeri) commonly eaten in Japan.

今こん夜やはヤリイカの刺さし身みを食たべよう。
Let's have spear squid sashimi tonight.

Written forms

ヤリイカUsage95%
kana-only spelling
Usually written in katakana; the kanji form 槍烏賊 is rare.
やりいかUsage5%
Hiragana spelling, also common.
槍烏賊やりいか
Kanji form; rarely used in practice.

Kanji

槍

spear, lance, javelin

烏crow, raven

賊burglar, rebel, traitor

Etymology

From 槍 (やり, 'spear') + 烏賊 (いか, 'squid'), referring to the squid's spear-like shape.