烏賊
ika[ika̠]
The Japanese word for squid is 烏賊, pronounced ika. Wiktionary also lists 鰞 (ika) and 柔魚 (ika).
Meaning: sea animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 烏賊 | ika | [ika̠] (narrow) |
| 鰞 | ika | |
| 柔魚 | ika |
The term refers to the sea animal. In culinary or grocery contexts, the word is almost always written in katakana as イカ or sometimes in hiragana as いか, rather than the kanji forms.
Which one should you use?
The pack provides three kanji forms: 烏賊, 鰞 and 柔魚, all of which are pronounced ika. The word is most commonly written in katakana as イカ rather than the kanji forms provided in the source.
How do you pronounce it?
ika
When do people say it?
Specific culinary preparations use different names, such as Surume (するめ) for dried squid and Ikayaki (いかやき) for grilled squid.
Did you know?
- The dark kanji for squid was chosen because of a legend where squid would pretend to be dead to lure crows to the surface, only to grab them and drag them underwater.
Examples in context
- 烏賊を刺身で食べます。ika o sashimi de tabemasu.I eat squid as sashimi.
- この烏賊はとても大きいです。kono ika wa totemo ookii desu.This squid is very large.
- スーパーで烏賊を買いました。suupaa de ika o kaimashita.I bought squid at the supermarket.
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are looking at a menu at a seafood restaurant.
- 陽太 Yota烏賊の料理はありますか？ika no ryouri wa arimasu ka?Are there any squid dishes?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、ありますよ。hai, arimasu yo.Yes, there are.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、烏賊を注文します。jaa, ika o chuumon shimasu.Then, I will order the squid.
- 結衣 Yuiいいですね。ii desu ne.That sounds good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “squid” translations and entries 烏賊, 鰞, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 烏賊, CC BY-SA 4.0.
