メカジキ

メ

カ

ジ

キ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

swordfish; broadbill

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the fish Xiphias gladius. In everyday contexts, メカジキ is the standard term.

今こん夜やの夕ゆう食しょくはメカジキのソテーだ。
Tonight's dinner is sautéed swordfish.
メカジキは高こう速そくで泳およぐ魚さかなとして知しられている。
Swordfish are known as fast-swimming fish.

See all 5 example sentences ›

Kanji

目eye, class, look
梶sculling oar
木tree, wood
眼eyeball
旗flag, banner, standard
魚fish

Built from

目め+カジキ

Written forms

メカジキUsage32%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard; the word is usually written in kana.
めかじきUsage68%
Hiragana spelling is also used, but katakana is more common for this fish name.
目め梶かじ木き
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
眼旗魚めかじき
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
眼め梶かじ木き
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
目め旗魚かじき
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

The name メカジキ is a compound of 目 (me, 'eye') and カジキ (kajiki, 'marlin' or 'billfish'), referring to the swordfish's large eyes. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling reflects this descriptive origin.