キンメダイ

き

ん

め

だ

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

splendid alfonsino

usually written using kana alone

A deep-sea fish prized in Japanese cuisine, especially for simmered dishes (煮付け). The scientific name is Beryx splendens.

キンメダイの煮に付つけは、脂あぶらがのっていて美味おいしい。

Simmered splendid alfonsino is rich and delicious.

市いち場ばで新しん鮮せんなキンメダイを買かった。

I bought a fresh splendid alfonsino at the market.

Kanji

金gold
目eye, class, look
鯛sea bream, red snapper
眼eyeball

Don't confuse with

タイN1
鯛 (sea bream) is the classic celebratory fish of the Sparidae family, while 金目鯛 (splendid alfonsino) is an unrelated deep-sea species with big eyes and red skin, often confused because both share the -だい ending and are prized in Japanese cooking.

Built from

金きん+メダイ

Written forms

キンメダイ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard for this fish name; usually written in kana.
金きん目め鯛だい
Kanji spelling using 目 and 鯛; seen in fish markets and menus.
金きん眼め鯛だい
Alternate kanji spelling with 眼; less common than 金目鯛.

Etymology

The name キンメダイ (金目鯛) literally means 'golden-eye sea bream', referring to its large, reflective golden eyes. Despite the name, it is not a true sea bream (鯛) but belongs to the family Berycidae.