noun
General term for decapod crustaceans, covering shrimp, prawns, and lobsters. In everyday use, えび often refers to shrimp or prawns, while 伊勢海老 (いせえび) specifically means spiny lobster.
今夜の夕食はエビフライです。
Tonight's dinner is fried shrimp.
寿司に甘えびをのせた。
I put sweet shrimp on the sushi.
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 海老 (literally 'sea old') is an ateji based on the curved shape of a shrimp resembling an old person's back. The reading えび is native Japanese, with no clear derivation.