Japanese symbol for “fish”
魚
さかな
Romaji: sakana
fish
In Japanese, fish is 魚, read さかな (sakana).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n fish
Written forms: 魚. Readings: さかな、うお.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “fish”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 釣る | つる tsuru | to fish; to angle; to catch |
| 魚類 | ぎょるい gyorui | fish; fishes |
| 喉 | こん kon | fish |
| フィッシュ | フィッシュ fisshu | fish |
| 漁る | すなどる sunadoru | to fish |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 金魚 | きんぎょ kingyo | goldfish (Carassius auratus) |
| 魚雷 | ぎょらい gyorai | torpedo |
| 魚屋 | さかなや sakanaya | fish market; fish dealer; fishmonger |
| 魚介 | ぎょかい gyokai | marine products; seafood; fish and shellfish |
| 魚類 | ぎょるい gyorui | fish; fishes |
| 人魚 | にんぎょ ningyo | mermaid; merman |
See also: Chinese symbol for “fish”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.