Curious about the Japanese word for different types of seafood? Find out more in this cheat sheet. We’ll be including the meaning and pronunciation of 20 Japanese seafood vocabulary under the fish and shellfish categories. Examples will also be provided.

Seafood is very prominent in a Japanese’s life. It’s a key ingredient in most of the country’s cuisine. While there are English menus provided by big Japanese fast-food chains, smaller local restaurants will have all of their dishes written in Japanese — often handwritten and in kanji.

By learning these words, you can easily order directly from a Japanese menu without fear of the unknown. You’ll also have an easier time shopping at the wet market, as sellers won’t be conversing in fluent English

Below, you will find a list of fish and shellfish species that are commonly found in Japan.

Fish

Here are 10 types of fish seafood commonly found in Japan:

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
魚介	ぎょかい gyokai	Seafood
サケ	sake	Salmon
マグロ	maguro	Tuna
カツオ	katsuo	Bonito
サンマ	sanma	Mackerel pike
サバ	saba	Mackerel
ウナギ	unagi	Freshwater eel
イカ	ika	Squid
タコ	tako	Octopus
カレイ	karei	Flounder

Shellfish

Here are 10 types of shellfish seafood commonly found in Japan:

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
エビ	ebi	Shrimp
カニ	kani	Crab
ロブスター	robusutā	Lobster
アサリ	asari	Clam
牡蠣	かき kaki	Oyster
ウニ	uni	Sea urchin
ホタテ	hotate	Scallop
ムール貝	mūrugai	Mussel
昆布	こんぶ konbu	Kelp
海藻 / 海苔	かいそう のり kaisō / nori	Seaweed

Example Sentences:

After learning the different terminologies, here are examples of how you can apply them in sentences.

Example 1:

By saying ‘魚介アレルギーなので、イカを食べることはできません。‘

Pronunciation: Gyokai arerugī nanode, ika o taberu koto wa dekimasen.

It means: ‘I’m allergic to seafood, so I cannot eat squid.’

Example 2:

By saying: ‘生の牡蠣は美味しいが、食中毒に気を付ける必要がある。‘

Pronunciation: Nama no kaki wa oishī ga, shokuchūdoku ni ki o tsukeru hitsuyō ga aru.

It means ‘Raw oysters are delicious, but one must be careful of food poisoning.’