A small, annual, freshwater fish native to East Asia, known for its sweet flavor and fragrant aroma when grilled. Often associated with summer and river fishing in Japan.
In summer, more people go fishing for ayu in the rivers.
In summer, more people enjoy fishing for ayu.
Salt-grilled ayu is fragrant and delicious.
That restaurant serves ayu grilled with salt.
Ayu comes into season around June.
鮎 is typically counted with 尾 in formal or culinary contexts, treating each fish as a whole specimen.
鮎 can also be counted with 匹, the everyday counter used for small animals and fish in casual speech.
Common katakana spelling; usually written in kana.
Standard kanji form, but the word is usually written in kana.
Common hiragana spelling.
Rare kanji form meaning 'year fish', referring to its one-year lifespan.
Rare kanji form meaning 'fragrant fish'.
The origin of the word あゆ is uncertain. The kanji 鮎 is a kokuji (Japanese-made character) combining 魚 (fish) and 占 (divination), possibly from the ancient practice of using ayu to predict the year's harvest.
ayu fishing; sweetfish fishing