秋刀魚(さんま)

さんま
noun
Pacific saury, mackerel pike
foodnature
1. Pacific saury, mackerel pike
A slender, silvery saltwater fish that is one of the most iconic foods of autumn in Japan. Typically grilled whole with salt and eaten with grated daikon radish and soy sauce.
秋(あき)になると秋刀魚(さんま)が食(た)べたくなる。
When autumn comes, I start craving saury.
塩焼(しおや)きの秋刀魚(さんま)に大根(だいこん)おろしを添(そ)える。
To serve salt-grilled saury with grated daikon.
近年(きんねん)は秋刀魚(さんま)の漁獲量(ぎょかくりょう)が減(へ)っていて、値段(ねだん)が高(たか)くなっている。
In recent years, the saury catch has been declining, and the price has been rising.

Usage

Also commonly written in katakana as サンマ or hiragana as さんま. The kanji 秋刀魚(さんま) is an ateji (phonetic kanji spelling), with the characters meaning "autumn sword fish" — a poetic description of its slender shape and its season.

One of the most representative foods of Japanese autumn. 秋刀魚(さんま)の塩焼(しおや)き (salt-grilled saury) is a staple home-cooked dish.

Common collocations

general
Added 2026.2.26 23:26 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
13500/13756_sanma