魚 — JLPT N5 Kanji
魚 (ギョ/さかな・うお): fish. JLPT N5 essential kanji.
魚
JLPT Level: N5 | Strokes: 11 | Radical: 魚 (fish)
Readings
| Type | Reading | Romaji | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-yomi | ギョ | gyo | fish in compounds |
| Kun-yomi | さかな、うお | sakana, uo | sakana = fish (common); uo = fish (in compounds/poetic) |
Meanings
- Fish
- (Used as a food category)
Vocabulary
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 魚 | さかな | sakana | fish | N5 |
| 金魚 | きんぎょ | kingyo | goldfish | N5 |
| 魚市場 | さかなしじょう | sakana shijoo | fish market | N4 |
| 熱帯魚 | ねったいぎょ | nettaigyo | tropical fish | N4 |
| 魚介類 | ぎょかいるい | gyokairui | seafood | N3 |
Stroke Order
1-3. Top: 刀-like head and strokes 4-8. Middle: 田 (rice field) — box with inner cross 9-11. Bottom: four short strokes (tail fins)
Memory Aid
魚 is a pictograph of a fish: the top part is the head/body, the middle 田 is the body/scales, and the four strokes at the bottom are the tail fin spreading out. You can actually see the fish shape!
Common Confusion
魚 (fish) is used as a radical in many fish-related kanji at higher levels (鯨 whale, 鮭 salmon, etc.). Recognizing 魚 unlocks many seafood vocabulary items.