How to Write 鲔 (wěi) — Meaning “Tuna”

Picture a tuna fish swimming and saying "I have (有) a lot of meat!" The fish radical 鱼 on the left and the "have" part 有 on the right make it easy to recall. You can also think: "A fish that has (有) a big body is a tuna."

The left radical 鱼 ends with a horizontal stroke that turns into a hook at the bottom – do not forget this hook. The right side 有 starts with a left-falling stroke (撇), then a horizontal stroke, and finally the 月 component with two inner horizontal lines. The overall balance: the left side is slightly narrower than the right.

鲔 has the right side 有, while 鱿 (yóu, squid) has 尤 on the right – a different radical shape. 鲁 (lǔ) places the fish radical on top of 日 (sun) and means "crude" or a place name, not a fish. So remember: tuna = fish + have; squid = fish + especially; 鲁 = fish on top of sun.

鲔 appears in words like 鲔鱼 (wěi yú, tuna) and 鲔鱼饭团 (tuna rice ball). It is frequently used in Taiwanese Chinese and in contexts related to Japanese cuisine, such as sushi menus. In mainland China, the word 金枪鱼 (jīn qiāng yú) is more common for tuna, but 鲔 is still understood, especially in food names.

Common words containing 鲔 include: 鲔鱼 (wěi yú) — Tuna; 鲔鱼罐头 (wěi yú guàn tou) — Canned tuna; 鲔鱼饭团 (wěi yú fàn tuán) — Tuna rice ball.