1.
canned tuna
Tuna preserved in a can, a staple pantry item in Japanese households. Used in a wide variety of dishes from salads and rice balls to pasta and sandwiches.
One of the most common canned foods in Japan. The word combines the loanword ツナ (tuna, from English) with 缶 (can). Japan is one of the world's largest consumers of canned tuna, and it appears in an enormous range of everyday dishes.
Common collocations
- ツナ缶を開ける: to open a can of tuna
- ツナ缶の油を切る: to drain the oil from canned tuna
- ノンオイルのツナ缶: oil-free canned tuna
- ツナマヨ: tuna mayo (abbreviation of ツナマヨネーズ)
Usage
In Japan, the brand name シーチキン (Sea Chicken) by Hagoromo Foods is so widely known that many people use it interchangeably with ツナ缶, similar to how "Band-Aid" is used for adhesive bandages in English.