1.
seafood; fish and shellfish
A collective term for edible marine animals including fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and other aquatic creatures. Commonly used in food and culinary contexts.
新鮮な魚介を使った料理だ。
It's a dish made with fresh seafood.
この地域は魚介類が豊富で有名だ。
This area is famous for its abundance of seafood.
市場では地元で獲れた魚介が並び、観光客にも人気がある。
Locally caught seafood is displayed at the market, and it's popular with tourists too.
Compound of 魚 (fish) + 介 (shellfish). Often used in the extended form 魚介類 (seafood, with the classifier 類).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 魚介類 (seafood, fish and shellfish)
- 魚介スープ (seafood soup)
- 魚介料理 (seafood dish)
- 新鮮な魚介 (fresh seafood)
- 魚介の盛り合わせ (assorted seafood platter)
USAGE NOTES:
More formal and comprehensive than 海鮮 (which also means seafood but is more colloquial and restaurant-oriented). 魚介 includes not just fish and shellfish but also squid, octopus, shrimp, and seaweed in broader usage. The variant reading ぎょがい exists but ぎょかい is standard.