Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will focus on Shonen Jump’s tastiest manga, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma. Who’s ready to learn about fish?

SAKANA (さかな)

SAKANA means “fish.” If you haven’t noticed, there’s been a lot of fish featured in recent Shonen Jump chapters. We’ve had Suzuki in Gakkyu Hotei: School Judgment and a whole mega cooking battle based around pike in Food Wars! Suzuki would probably not be so lucky if he was in the cooking manga series.

SANMA (さんま)

SANMA is the main ingredient in the current cooking battle in Food Wars!. This fish has many names, including Pacific saury, but is commonly known as mackerel pike. As explained in Food Wars!, this fish is a seasonal food that represents autumn. It is often salted and grilled but can be eaten in many different ways. It really is a perfect ingredient for an important food battle!

SASHIMI (さしみ)

SASHIMI is sliced raw fish or meat and literally means something like “sliced body.” The body here is referring to the body/meat of the fish or animal. Sanma is not a typical SASHIMI fish, but Soma and Kurokiba sure make it look good with their knife skills. I’m not even a big fish eater, but I want to try it!

Get more tips by listening to our PODCAST!