鮨

Translingual

Han character

鮨 (radical 195 魚+6, 17 strokes, cangjie input 弓火心日 (NFPA), four-corner 2136₁)

References

• KangXi: page 1469, character 17
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 46123
• Dae Jaweon: page 2002, character 15
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 7, page 4687, character 18
• Unihan data for U+9BA8

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Cantonese

Hanzi

鮨 (Yale kei4)

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Japanese

Etymology

From 酸し (sushi, “sourness”), the base noun form of adjective 酸い (sui, “sour”).

Historically, sushi was originally a form of fish that had been salted and fermented for preservation without refrigeration. The fish was sometimes packed with rice or rice mixed with vinegar in order to speed the fermentation process. In the Edo period, this was also known as hayazushi (早鮨, 早鮓) when packed in layers, pressed, and fermented for just one night. Something similar is still prepared today as narezushi (馴鮨, 熟鮨) that relies on fermentation with no added vinegar.

The kanji spellings for sushi are ateji.

Noun

鮨 (すし, sushi)

1. salted and naturally fermented seafood
2. salted and naturally fermented seafood with rice
   • 931-938: Wamyō Ruijushō (book 4 page 58)

     鮓 尒雅注云、鮨、渠脂反、與耆同、須之。昌平本下總本有和名二字、新撰字鏡、鮓、同訓、鮓屬也

3. vinegared rice served with fish; sushi
   • 1603–1604: Nippo Jisho (page 593)

     Suxi. スシ (鮨・鮓) 長もちするように、そしてそのまま生で食べるように、飯や塩を加えて調理した魚.

Alternative forms

• 寿司
• 鮓
• すし

Kanji

鮨

鮨

Readings

• On: し (shi), き (ki), けい (kei)
• Kun: すし (sushi)

References

• 1980 May 19 [1603–1604], Tadao Doi, Hōyaku Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, ISBN 4-0008-0021-3:
• 1968 May 19 [931-938], Shitagō Minamoto; Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu, Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, ISBN 4-653-00507-9:

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Korean

Hanja

鮨 (hangeul 지, revised ji, McCune-Reischauer chi, Yale ci)

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Mandarin

Hanzi

鮨 (pinyin qí (qi2), yì (yi4), zhī (zhi1), Wade-Giles ch'i², i⁴, chih¹)