About
鮨 (yí) is a phono-semantic compound that originally denoted salted fish or fish paste in ancient Chinese culinary texts, but is now best known as the character for sushi in Japanese. It combines the semantic radical 魚 (yú, "fish"), which places it among fish and marine products, with the phonetic component 旨 (zhǐ), which gives the pronunciation and also carries the connotation of something delicious. Over time, the meaning shifted from fermented or cured fish in classical Chinese to fresh fish preparations over vinegared rice, a semantic change that mirrors the culinary development of sushi in Japan.
Etymology Hide
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.