How to Write 鲯 (qí) — Meaning “Mahi-mahi”

Think of 鱼 (fish) plus 奇 (strange). Imagine a strange fish that looks like it has a tall, odd fin — the mahi-mahi has a large dorsal fin. The sound "qí" also reminds me of "key" — so picture a fish wearing a key as a strange decoration.

Pay attention to the left radical 鱼: the bottom stroke is a horizontal line that turns into a hook, not a full curve. The right part 奇 has five strokes: notice the top "大" and the bottom "可" — make sure the vertical hook in 可 does not touch the top part. Keep the character balanced, with the left slightly narrower than the right.

The right side is the main difference: 鲯 has 奇 (qí), 鲑 has 圭 (guī, meaning jade), and 鲒 has 吉 (jí, meaning luck). Visually, 奇 has a large top and a small hook at the bottom, while 圭 is stacked earth radicals, and 吉 has a scholar's cap top. In meaning, 鲑 is salmon, 鲒 is a type of clam or fish, while 鲯 is mahi-mahi.

You will see 鲯 mostly in seafood menus or fishing articles, especially in coastal regions of China. It often appears together with 鳅 in the word 鲯鳅 (mahi-mahi). There is no special cultural festival related to it, but mahi-mahi is prized as a delicious game fish in tropical waters.

Common words containing 鲯 include: 鲯鳅 (qí qiū) — Mahi-mahi; 钓鲯鳅 (diào qí qiū) — Fishing for mahi-mahi; 鲯鳅鱼 (qí qiū yú) — Mahi-mahi fish.