鰹(かつお)

かつお
noun
bonito, skipjack tuna
1. bonito, skipjack tuna
A fish of the tuna family, important in Japanese cuisine both fresh (as sashimi/tataki) and dried (as katsuobushi, the base for dashi).
鰹(かつお)のたたきが大好(だいす)きだ。
I love seared bonito (tataki).
鰹節(かつおぶし)で出汁(だし)を取(と)る。
To make dashi stock from dried bonito flakes.
初(はつ)ガツオは春(はる)の味覚(みかく)だ。
The first bonito catch is a taste of spring.
初(はつ)ガツオ refers to bonito caught in spring migration

CULINARY USES:

鰹(かつお) is central to Japanese cuisine in multiple forms:

  • 刺身(さしみ) (sashimi - raw)
  • たたき (tataki - seared)
  • 鰹節(かつおぶし) (dried bonito flakes - essential for dashi)

SEASONAL VARIETIES:

  • 初(はつ)ガツオ (spring catch - lean, refreshing)
  • 戻(もど)りガツオ (autumn catch - fatty, rich)

COMMON PATTERNS:

  • 鰹(かつお)の刺身(さしみ) (bonito sashimi)
  • 鰹(かつお)のたたき (seared bonito)
  • 鰹節(かつおぶし)を削(けず)る (shave dried bonito)

REGIONAL NOTE:
Kochi Prefecture (高知県(こうちけん)) is famous for 鰹(かつお)のたたき.

Related Words

Related: 鰻(うなぎ) (eel)
core
Added 2026.1.17 12:13 · Revised 2026.1.19 21:17
06000/06106_katsuo