Meaning

Primary

Squid

Alternative

Cuttlefish

Word Type

noun

Explanation

Look in the sea and you'll see what looks like a crow moving under the water and it's a thief! It's stealing from all the fish. As it comes closer you see that it isn't a crow, it's a squid. Or a cuttlefish? One or the other.

Reading

いか
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading for this word is completely irregular, so here's a mnemonic to help you remember it:

You call the fish police to arrest that thieving squid, but it jumps into it's eagle car (いか) and makes a swift getaway. In case you didn't know, an eagle car is an eagle moonlighting as a car. The eagle car is zooming up into the sky, so there's no way the fish police can catch it now.

Context

Context Sentences

烏賊の刺し身が大好物です。

Squid sashimi is my favorite food.

今夜は烏賊の煮物を作ろうと思っています。

I'm thinking about making stewed cuttlefish this evening.

Kanji Composition