鯊魚 / 鲨鱼
鯊魚 / 鲨鱼 is the Cantonese word for shark.
Meaning: fish (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 鯊, meaning shark and 魚, meaning fish.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, 鯊魚 is the term commonly used to refer to shark.
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the term for 'loan shark' is 大耳窿, which literally translates to 'big ear hole'. This idiomatic expression bypasses the word 鯊魚 entirely to describe predatory lenders.
- The term 魚翅 for shark fin ignores the word 鯊魚 because the specific value of the delicacy lies in the 'fin' 翅 rather than the 'fish' 魚.
- In traditional Cantonese medicine, certain parts of the 鯊魚 were historically believed to have healing properties, leading to the animal's high value in apothecaries.
Examples in context
- 我見過鯊魚I have seen a shark before.
- 嗰條鯊魚好大。That shark is very big.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shark” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
