壽司 / 寿司
shòusī
The English phrase sushi is translated into Chinese as 壽司 / 寿司 (shòusī). If unsure, use 壽司 / 寿司. Wiktionary also lists 日本壽司 / 日本寿司 (Rìběn shòusī).
Meaning: Japanese dish (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 壽司 / 寿司 | shòusī |
| 日本壽司 / 日本寿司 | Rìběn shòusī |
This noun refers to the Japanese dish sushi.
Which one should you use?
The form 日本壽司 / 日本寿司 specifically includes the word for Japan (Rìběn), effectively meaning "Japanese sushi."
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is shòusī.
Did you know?
- While 壽司 refers to the Japanese dish, the word 壽 is a common character used in Chinese calligraphy and gifts to wish elders a long life.
- The character 司 in 寿司 means 'to manage' or 'to preside over', a function entirely unrelated to the preparation of rice or fish.
- In Chinese, the characters for 壽司 are an orthographic borrowing, meaning they were adopted from the Japanese writing system rather than translated.
Examples in context
- 我最喜欢的日本菜是寿司。My favorite Japanese dish is sushi.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sushi” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 壽司, CC BY-SA 4.0.
