flathead; bartailed flathead
A type of bottom-dwelling fish, especially Platycephalus indicus. Commonly used in cooking; the name often appears in katakana on menus.
Flathead is delicious when made into tempura.
I bought a fresh flathead at the market.
big-eyed flathead (Suggrundus meerdervoortii)
flathead; flathead fish
Richardson's dragonet; Richard's dragonet
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms are rare and mainly used in specialized contexts.
Katakana spelling, common in menus and fish market signs.
Rare kanji form; mainly seen in academic or specialized texts.
Gikun (meaning-based) kanji spelling; very rare and not recommended for learners.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 鯒 is a kokuji (Japanese-made character) for this fish, and 牛尾魚 is a gikun spelling meaning 'ox-tail fish', likely from its shape.