鮪
maguro[ma̠ɡɯ̟ɾo̞]
The Japanese word for tuna is 鮪 (maguro) or ツナ (tsuna).
Meaning: fish (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 鮪 | maguro | [ma̠ɡɯ̟ɾo̞] (narrow) |
| ツナ | tsuna |
ツナ is a common term used for processed or canned tuna, often found in Western-style dishes such as sandwiches or mayonnaise-based fillings.
Which one should you use?
Use the katakana form ツナ (tsuna) when referring to canned tuna or tuna used as an ingredient in Western-style dishes like sandwiches or mayo-based fillings.
How do you pronounce it?
maguro
Did you know?
- At the famous Toyosu market in Tokyo, the first tuna of the year is sold at an annual auction where prices can reach millions of dollars for a single fish.
- In Japanese, the specific part of the fish used for sushi is often called by the name of the cut, such as akami for lean red meat or chutoro for medium fatty tuna.
- If the word 鮪 (maguro) is broken down into its components, it may be linked to the words for 'eye' and 'black', referring to the dark eyes of the fish.
Examples in context
- 最近はツナマヨおにぎり。I've been having tuna and mayo onigiri recently.This sentence shows how to use ツナ in the context of onigiri.Tatoeba #10094215 by Sim5634, translation #10122702 by tsp_2
- トムはツナサンドを食べたんだ。Tom ate a tuna sandwich.This sentence illustrates the use of ツナ in a sandwich context.Tatoeba #8962515 by bunbuku, translation #6628132 by Hybrid
- お寿司屋さんでマグロを食べました。I ate tuna at the sushi restaurant.
- 今日のランチはマグロの刺身だったよ。Today's lunch was tuna sashimi!
- 鮪はとても脂が乗っています。maguro wa totemo abura ga notte imasu.The tuna is very fatty.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are at a sushi restaurant.
- 蓮 Ren鮪を注文しましょうか。Maguro o chūmon shimashō ka.Shall we order tuna?
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね。ぜひそうしましょう。Ii desu ne. Zehi sō shimashō.That sounds good. Let's do that.
- 蓮 Ren中トロの鮪が美味しいですよ。Chūtoro no maguro ga oishii desu yo.The medium-fatty tuna is delicious.
- 美咲 Misaki楽しみです！Tanoshimi desu!I'm looking forward to it!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tuna” translations and entries 鮪, ツナ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
