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Words Kanji Guides About

魚さかな

also: うお

さ

か

な

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

noun

General term for fish as an animal or food. The reading さかな is standard; うお appears mainly in compounds or literary contexts.

今こん夜やの夕ゆう食しょくは魚さかなだ。
Tonight's dinner is fish.
川かわで大おおきな魚さかなを釣つった。
I caught a big fish in the river.

Written forms

魚Usage98%
- さかな
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common reading is さかな.
- うお
  Alternate reading うお is used in some compounds and older contexts, but さかな is far more common in everyday speech.
ウオUsage1%
うおUsage1%
サカナUsage<1%

Kanji

魚fish

Etymology

The kanji 魚 is a pictograph of a fish. The reading さかな is of native origin, while うお is also native and older, now largely replaced by さかな in modern usage.