monkfish; goosefish; anglerfish
Refers to the fish, especially as food. In everyday contexts, あんこう is the most common form.
Monkfish hot pot is delicious in winter.
市場で大きなあんこうを見つけた。
I found a big monkfish at the market.
curved gutter
A technical term for a curved gutter, likely from the fish's wide mouth shape. Rare outside specialized contexts.
A curved gutter called 'ankō' is used on the eaves of this building.
Archaic derogatory term, possibly from the fish's gaping mouth. Not used in modern Japanese.
In old texts, 'ankō' can refer to a fool.
football fish; Atlantic footballfish
toadfish
triplewart seadevil
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 鮟鱇 is rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
Katakana spelling is common in biological contexts or menus.
Rare kanji form; both characters are outside the Jōyō kanji list.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 鮟鱇 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) for the fish name. The archaic 'fool' sense may derive from the fish's appearance.