How to Write 鲞 (xiǎng) — Meaning “Dried fish”

Imagine an elephant (象) holding a dried fish (鱼) above its head to keep it safe from rain. The elephant’s trunk wraps around the fish to remind you that 鲞 means dried fish. This unusual image helps link the two parts together.

Pay attention to the left radical 鱼: it has a horizontal stroke at the bottom that turns up slightly, not a full horizontal line. The right component 象 has 12 strokes, so be careful not to miss the short vertical stroke inside the 'mouth' shape (口) near the top.

鱿 means squid and uses the radical 鱼 plus 尤 (yóu), while 鲁 is a surname meaning 'crude' or 'dull' and has a different right part (日). Visually, 鲞 has 象 on the right, which is much more complex than the right sides of 鱿 or 鲁.

鲞 appears mainly in southern Chinese cuisine, especially in Zhejiang and Fujian regions, referring to dried or salted fish like 鱼鲞. It is not common in daily conversation but may appear on food menus or in traditional recipes, often associated with a savory, preserved flavor.

Common words containing 鲞 include: 鱼鲞 (yú xiǎng) — Dried fish; 鲞鱼 (xiǎng yú) — Dried fish; 腊鲞 (là xiǎng) — Dried salted fish.