焼き魚
yakizakana
The English phrase "cooked fish" is translated into Japanese as 焼き魚 (yakizakana).
焼き魚 refers specifically to fish that has been prepared by grilling.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun, 焼き魚 does not change its form to indicate whether the fish is singular or plural.
How do you pronounce it?
yakizakana
Did you know?
- The word sakana for 'fish' is historically believed to come from the words for 'alcohol' and 'side dish', as fish was the most common accompaniment to drinks.
- In a traditional Japanese breakfast, 焼き魚 is often served with a side of grated daikon radish, which contains enzymes that help the body digest the proteins in the grilled fish.
- When the two words combine, the 's' in sakana transforms into a 'z' to become zakana through a linguistic process called rendaku. This makes the compound sound more fluid to native speakers.
Examples in context
- Yakizakana o onegai shimasu (焼き魚をお願いします)Grilled fish, please.
- 今日の夕食は焼き魚です。Kyō no yūshoku wa yakizakana desu.Today's dinner is grilled fish.
- 美味しい焼き魚を食べたいです。Oishii yakizakana o tabetai desu.I want to eat delicious grilled fish.
- この焼き魚はとても香ばしいです。Kono yakizakana wa totemo kōbashii desu.This grilled fish is very fragrant.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are deciding what to eat for dinner at home.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くん、今日の晩ご飯は何がいい？Ren-kun, kyō no bangohan wa nani ga ii?Ren, what would you like for dinner tonight?
- 蓮 Ren僕は焼き魚が食べたいな。Boku wa yakizakana ga tabetai na.I want to eat grilled fish.
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、美味しい焼き魚を作るね。Jā, oishii yakizakana o tsukuru ne.Then, I will make some delicious grilled fish.
- 蓮 Renありがとう、楽しみにしてるよ。Arigatō, tanoshimi ni shiteru yo.Thank you, I'm looking forward to it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 焼き魚, CC BY-SA 4.0.
