Japanese symbol for “salmon”
鮭
さけ
Romaji: sake
salmon (Salmonidae spp.)
In Japanese, salmon is 鮭, read さけ (sake).
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 salmon (Salmonidae spp.)
- n chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta); dog salmon
Written forms: 鮭. Readings: さけ、しゃけ、サケ、シャケ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “salmon”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| サーモン | サーモン saamon | salmon |
| 秋味 | あきあじ akiaji | salmon (esp. salmon swimming upstream in the autumn) |
| 曙色 | あけぼのいろ akebonoiro | salmon (color, colour); pink with a yellow tinge |
| 東雲色 | しののめいろ shinonomeiro | salmon (color, colour); pink with a yellow tinge; color of daybreak |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 紅鮭 | べにざけ benizake | sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka); red salmon |
| 塩鮭 | しおざけ shiozake | salted salmon |
| 鮭茶漬け | さけちゃづけ sakechazuke | chazuke with salmon |
| 鮭漁 | さけりょう sakeryou | salmon fishing |
| 大西洋鮭 | たいせいようさけ taiseiyousake | Atlantic salmon (Salmo salmar) |
| 江鮭 | あめのうお amenouo | biwa trout (Oncorhynchus masou rhodurus); biwa salmon |
See also: Chinese symbol for “salmon”.
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.