鮎

Glyph origin
.

Definitions

 * 1) catfish (fishes in order ), especially

Usage notes
Rarely used in Chinese. The variant form is more often used for the word catfish.

Kanji

 * 1) ayu, sweetfish
 * 2) catfish

Etymology 1


From of uncertain derivation.
 * One commonly encountered etymology suggests that ayu may derive from, in reference to the way that this fish may be used in Shinto offerings. However, this would have been pronounced ape in ancient times, and while this ape did later become ahe, and a shift from -he to -ye did occur in many terms during the , the word ayu in reference to the fish appeared in the  (720 ), and is thus too old for this shift to have occurred.
 * Another common etymology states that ayu may be from extinct term, in reference to the way that ayu swim downstream to spawn in the autumn. Some references suggest that this is not very eventful and that this etymology is therefore unlikely. However, there are terms specific to the ayu downstream migration, such as  and , suggesting that this event has been culturally important enough that the  derivation may be plausible.
 * Alternatively, this term may be borrowed from in reference to how fast the fish moves. See also obsolete Japanese reading ai below.

The kanji spelling in reference to sweetfish is specific to Japan, probably in reference to the way the fish  stakes out its territory. There is another tale wherein caught an ayu and thereby prophesied (also spelled ) the outcome of a battle, but this is likely a folk etymology. In China and elsewhere, the character refers instead to catfish.

The kanji spelling is in reference to the common one-year lifespan of this fish.

The kanji spelling is in reference to its sweet-tasting flesh.

Noun

 * 1) ayu or sweetfish
 * 2) * 720,  (poem 126/129)

Derived terms

 * : ayu catching: fishing for ayu with a hook and line
 * : alternate for ; see below
 * : (formerly ) or  fish; a kind of dish made with tofu cut into long strips, sauteed in oil, then prepared with smartweed vinegar in a fashion similar to salt-roasted ayu
 * : using a net on a pole to catch young ayu as they swim upstream in March or April
 * : a festival formerly held at on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month
 * : alternate name for the
 * : ayu fry; a term of endearment for an ayu fish
 * : alternate name for
 * : ground ayu sandwiched between layers of strained tofu, placed on a wooden board, and steamed
 * : ayu migrating downstream to spawn
 * : an ayu basket, made of bamboo with a narrow opening and bulging bottom, used in ancient times to trap ayu
 * : a kind of sushi prepared by salting or vinegaring a gutted and cleaned ayu fish, then presenting with its belly packed with rice; popular during the
 * : ayu migrating downstream to spawn

Etymology 2
Obsolete variant of ayu pronunciation. May have been the original pronunciation.

Noun

 * 1)  ayu or sweetfish

Usage notes
Found in some compounds. Generally not used on its own.

Derived terms

 * , : a greenling, a kind of marine fish, so named for its similarities to ayu
 * : alternate name for

Etymology 3
The kanji spelling 鮎 in reference to sweetfish is specific to Japan. In China and elsewhere, the 鮎 character refers instead to catfish. See the entry for more detail about the Japanese term namazu.

Noun

 * : a catfish

Hanja

 * 1) (메기) catfish, sheatfish

Synonyms

 * (언, eon)