イクラ

いくら

noun

salmon roe

1. salmon roe, salmon caviar

Individual eggs of salmon, typically marinated in soy sauce or salt. A popular sushi topping and rice bowl ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

イクラ丼(どん)を注文(ちゅうもん)した。

I ordered a salmon roe rice bowl.

回転(かいてん)ずしでは、イクラは子(こ)どもにも人気(にんき)がある。

At conveyor belt sushi, salmon roe is popular even with children.

北海道(ほっかいどう)で食(た)べた醤油(しょうゆ)づけのイクラは、プチプチとした食感(しょっかん)がたまらなかった。

The soy-marinated salmon roe I ate in Hokkaido had an irresistible popping texture.

Etymology

From Russian "икра" (ikra), meaning fish roe. The word entered Japanese through contact with Russia, particularly via Hokkaido.

Usage

イクラ specifically refers to salmon roe that has been separated into individual eggs. The roe sac still in its membrane is called すじこ (筋子(すじこ)). イクラ is a staple of Japanese sushi and 海鮮(かいせん)丼(どん) (seafood rice bowls), especially in Hokkaido.

Common collocations

イクラ丼(どん): salmon roe rice bowl
イクラの醤油(しょうゆ)づけ: soy-marinated salmon roe
イクラの軍艦巻(ぐんかんま)き: salmon roe battleship sushi
イクラがプチプチする: roe pops (texture description)

general

Added 2026.2.9 16:23 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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