How to say "fish" in Japanese

• 魚さかなJLPT N5approx.Common
  nounThe general word for a fish as an animal, whether swimming in the sea or served on a plate; when you simply mean 'fish', this is the word to reach for.
  こうして私はいつも魚さかなを料理りょうりする。↗

  This is how I usually cook fish.
• フィッシュCommon
  nounA loanword meaning fish. It is seldom the word you want in an ordinary sentence, where 魚 is used; it appears mainly in set phrases and names borrowed from English.
• 漁るあさるCommon
  godan verb, transitive verbThe verb for fishing as an activity of hunting for a catch, with a foraging nuance; away from fishing it can also mean rummaging or searching for something.
• 魚類ぎょるいCommon
  nounFish as a class or category of animals, as in biological or academic discussion; use this when contrasting fish with other animal groups, not for an individual fish on a plate.
• 釣るつるJLPT N4approx.Common
  godan verb, transitive verbTo fish by angling: trying to catch fish on a hook and line, as in the leisure pastime of fishing; use this for the recreational sense rather than fishing as a trade.
  私は昨日きのう大おおきな魚さかなを釣つった。↗

  I caught a big fish yesterday.

Use 魚 for a fish itself, 魚類 for fish as a biological group, 「釣る」 for angling with a line, 「漁る」 for fishing as hunting for a catch, and 「フィッシュ」 mainly in loanword contexts rather than ordinary speech.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 魚さかなfish
• フィッシュfish
• 漁るあさるto fish
• 魚類ぎょるいfish
• 釣るつるto fish
• ポアソンfish (in French cuisine)
• 魚族ぎょぞくfish
• おととfish
• 糸を垂れるいとをたれるto fish
• 魚を釣るさかなをつるto fish
• 銀鱗ぎんりんsilvery scale