Chinese word

鱼

Pronunciation

Pinyinyú

Meaning

  • nounfish

Example

我想吃一条鱼。wǒ xiǎng chī yì tiáo yú

I want to eat a fish.

Illustration for 鱼 (fish)

More examples

市场里有很多新鲜的鱼。shì chǎng lǐ yǒu hěn duō xīn xiān de yú

There are many fresh fish at the market.

Core concept

A swimming, finned creature that can also be treated as something to eat.

Common phrases

  • 一条鱼yì tiáo yú

    a fish

  • 吃鱼chī yú

    eat fish

  • 买鱼mǎi yú

    buy fish

Similar words

肉ròu: Edible flesh from animals, used as food.
海鲜hǎi xiān: Edible fish, shellfish, and other food from the sea or rivers.
鱼肉yú ròu: The edible flesh of a fish, used as food.

Definition in Chinese

指属于鱼类的动物，在口语中也常用作鱼肉或与鱼有关的泛称。zhǐ shǔ yú yú lèi de dòng wù zài kóu yǔ zhōng yě cháng yòng zuò yú ròu huò yǔ yú yǒu guān de fàn chēng

Word origin

The character 鱼 (yú, "fish") began as a drawing of a fish, with the old picture gradually becoming the regular character and later the simplified form.

Usage tips

  • Chinese can use one general word for fish without naming a species, so words around it often provide details such as size, color, or kind.

Related words

  • 鱼肉yú ròufish meatnoun
  • 金鱼jīn yúgoldfishnoun
  • 鱼类yú lèifish speciesnoun

Word lists with this word