Fish Character

Different language traditions preserve different senses.

The Erya, an early Chinese dictionary dated around the 4th–3rd centuries BCE, identifies 鮨 as a fish preparation. The Shuowen Jiezi, a Chinese dictionary compiled around the 2nd century CE, defines 鮨 as fish paste from Shu (now Sichuan) and records a fish sense too. It analyzes 鮨 as 魚 (“fish”) plus 旨, a sound component.

The Shan Hai Jing, an ancient Chinese book about geography and marvels, describes the named fish as dog-headed with a baby's cry. Japanese also uses 鮨 as a spelling for sushi. In a Chinese historical passage, check the context before choosing: it may mean fish paste or that named fish, not the Japanese dish.