mantis shrimp; squilla
Refers to marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda, especially the species Oratosquilla oratoria. Commonly eaten in Japan as sushi or tempura.
Mantis shrimp is popular as a sushi topping.
I bought some fresh mantis shrimp at the market.
エビ is the general term for shrimp/prawn, while シャコ specifically refers to mantis shrimp, which is not a true shrimp.
カニ means crab; シャコ is sometimes called 'mantis crab' in English but is a different crustacean.
Japanese mud shrimp (Upogebia major)
Katakana spelling is common for this animal name; usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling is also common; usually written in kana.
Rare kanji form; the word is usually written in kana.
Rarely used kanji form; the word is usually written in kana.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 蝦蛄 is a Chinese-derived compound for mantis shrimp, but the Japanese reading しゃこ may be from a native name or a borrowing.