うに

う

に

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

sea urchin

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the living animal or the whole creature.

sea urchin roe; uni (as food)

usually written using kana alonefood / cooking

Refers to the edible gonads, often served as sushi or sashimi. When written in kanji, 雲丹 is sometimes used.

個こN5
個 counts うに as an individual sea urchin or serving of roe, the most common everyday choice.
匹ひきN3sense 1
匹 is sometimes used for うに when emphasizing it as a live sea creature rather than a food item.

うにUsage28%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms are rare.
ウニUsage65%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common in menus and food contexts.
雲丹うにUsage6%
rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Rare kanji form used specifically for the food sense (seasoned sea urchin eggs).
海う胆にUsage1%
rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Rare kanji form; not commonly used.
海う栗に
rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Rare kanji form; not commonly used.

The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji forms are jukujikun (special readings) assigned based on meaning.