1.
small fish; small fry (used as food)
Small fish such as anchovies, sardines, and whitebait, often eaten whole and prized for their calcium content. Also a general term for any small fish.
小魚を食べる。
I eat small fish.
小魚は骨ごと食べられて栄養がある。
Small fish can be eaten bones and all, and are nutritious.
川の浅瀬で小魚の群れがきらきらと泳いでいた。
A school of small fish was swimming and glinting in the shallows of the river.
Compound of 小 (small) + 魚, with rendaku turning さかな into ざかな. Often refers to small dried fish (おやつ or topping) but also any small live fish.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 小魚の群れ: a school of small fish
- 小魚を釣る: to catch small fish
- カルシウム豊富な小魚: calcium-rich small fish
- アーモンド入り小魚: small fish snack with almonds
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 雑魚: small fish (collectively); also figurative "small fry" — more colloquial; can be derogatory of people
- しらす: whitebait — specifically tiny young sardines/anchovies
- 大魚: large fish — antonym