From sushi counters to Taiwanese night markets, fish words pop up everywhere—and many sound nothing like English. This guide gives you high-frequency species in Traditional Chinese, with pinyin right after and clear English glosses. You’ll also get “menu traps,” measure words, cooking verbs, market phrases, and mini dialogues so you can point confidently without resorting to interpretive fish-miming.
Core Market & Menu Words
魚 yú — fish
海鮮 hǎi xiān — seafood
海魚 hǎi yú — saltwater fish
淡水魚 dàn shuǐ yú — freshwater fish
魚片 yú piàn — fish fillet
整尾 zhěng wěi — whole fish
去刺 qù cì — deboned
魚刺 yú cì — fish bones
新鮮 xīn xiān — fresh
野生 yě shēng — wild-caught
養殖 yǎng zhí — farmed
Popular Saltwater Fish (Restaurant & Night Market All-Stars)
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes |
| salmon | 鮭魚 | guī yú | Also 三文魚 sān wén yú in HK; sushi = 鮭 guī |
| tuna | 鮪魚 | wěi yú | Sashimi staple |
| mackerel | 鯖魚 | qīng yú | Often 烤鯖魚 kǎo qīng yú grilled |
| saba (pacific mackerel) | 鯖魚（鯖花魚） | qīng yú (qīng huā yú) | Taiwan menus may show 鯖花魚 |
| mahi-mahi | 鬼頭刀 | guǐ tóu dāo | Taiwan specialty, meaty |
| swordfish | 旗魚 | qí yú | Street-food skewers、旗魚黑輪 qí yú hēi lún |
| amberjack/yellowtail | 油甘／鰤魚 | yóu gān / shī yú | Sushi “hamachi”= 鰤 |
| snapper (red) | 紅鯛／紅魽 | hóng diāo / hóng gān | Names vary by region |
| sea bass | 海鱸／鱸魚 | hǎi lú / lú yú | Restaurants may just write 鱸魚 |
| grouper | 石斑 | shí bān | Expensive, often steamed |
| milkfish | 虱目魚 | shī mù yú | Tainan icon; many bones |
| eel (saltwater) | 星鰻／海鰻 | xīng mán / hǎi mán | Kabayaki style = 蒲燒 pú shāo |
| cod | 鱈魚 | xuě yú | “Snow fish” on menus may be 龍鱈 lóng xuě or not real cod |
Example
今天想吃烤鯖魚，外酥內嫩。
jīn tiān xiǎng chī kǎo qīng yú, wài sū nèi nèn
I’m craving grilled mackerel—crispy outside, tender inside.
Freshwater Favorites
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes |
| tilapia | 吳郭魚 | wú guō yú | Taiwan farm classic |
| carp | 鯉魚 | lǐ yú | Bony; soups/festivals |
| grass carp | 草魚 | cǎo yú | Hotpot slices |
| catfish | 鯰魚 | nián yú | Fried or braised |
| snakehead | 鱧魚 | lǐ yú | Clear soups, delicate |
| trout | 鱒魚 | zūn yú | Cold-water farms |
Sushi & Sashimi Cheat Sheet
| Sushi Term | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | What It Is |
| 鮭 guī | 鮭魚 | guī yú | salmon |
| 鮪 wěi | 鮪魚 | wěi yú | tuna |
| 鰹 jiān | 鰹魚 | jiān yú | bonito/skipjack |
| 鯖 qīng | 鯖魚 | qīng yú | mackerel |
| 鰤 shī | 鰤魚 | shī yú | yellowtail/hamachi |
| 比目 yú | 比目魚 | bǐ mù yú | flounder/halibut |
| 鰻 mán | 鰻魚 | mán yú | eel (fresh/saltwater varies) |
| 章魚／花枝 | 章魚／花枝 | zhāng yú / huā zhī | octopus / cuttlefish |
Ordering tip: “兩貫 liǎng guàn” = two pieces of nigiri.
Canned & Everyday Sandwich Fish
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin |
| canned tuna | 鮪魚罐頭 | wěi yú guàn tóu |
| canned mackerel | 鯖魚罐頭 | qīng yú guàn tóu |
| sardine | 沙丁魚 | shā dīng yú |
| anchovy | 鳳尾魚 | fèng wěi yú |
Parts, Cuts, And What You’ll See On Labels
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Notes |
| fillet | 魚片 | yú piàn | 去刺 qù cì deboned |
| belly | 肚 | dù | 鮭魚肚 guī yú dù fatty |
| head | 魚頭 | yú tóu | 魚頭豆腐湯 |
| skin | 魚皮 | yú pí | 鮭魚皮捲 |
| roe | 魚卵／魚子 | yú luǎn / yú zǐ | イクラ常譯 鮭魚卵 |
| bones | 魚骨／魚刺 | yú gǔ / yú cì | 小心魚刺 xiǎo xīn |
Cooking Methods You’ll Actually Order
| Method | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Example |
| steam | 清蒸 | qīng zhēng | 清蒸石斑 qīng zhēng shí bān |
| pan-fry | 煎 | jiān | 煎鱸魚 jiān lú yú |
| grill/roast | 烤 | kǎo | 烤鯖魚 kǎo qīng yú |
| braise | 紅燒 | hóng shāo | 紅燒魚 hóng shāo yú |
| deep-fry | 炸 | zhà | 炸虱目魚肚 |
| poach/simmer | 燉／煮 | dùn / zhǔ | 魚湯 yú tāng |
| salt-bake | 鹽烤 | yán kǎo | 鹽烤鯖魚 |
| with rice porridge | 魚粥 | yú zhōu | 虱目魚肚粥 |
Mini line you can reuse:
請做清蒸，少鹽。
qǐng zuò qīng zhēng, shǎo yán
Please steam it, light on salt.
Supermarket & Menu Tricky Translations
“雪魚 xuě yú” on a menu is sometimes real cod 鱈魚 xuě yú, but some places use “雪魚” for oily “butterfish” or even escolar. If you care which fish you’re getting, ask: 這是鱈魚嗎？
zhè shì xuě yú ma
Is this cod?
“旗魚黑輪 qí yú hēi lún” is a beloved Taiwan street snack made from fish paste (not a ring of swordfish). Delicious, but not a swordfish steak.
Measure Words For Fish
一尾魚 yì wěi yú — one whole fish
一條魚 yì tiáo yú — one fish (general; common in speech)
一片 yí piàn — one fillet/slice
一塊 yí kuài — one piece/chunk
一盤 yì pán — one plate
一份 yí fèn — one order/serving
Example
我要一份烤鯖魚，再加一盤燙青菜。
wǒ yào yí fèn kǎo qīng yú, zài jiā yì pán tàng qīng cài
I’ll have one grilled mackerel and a plate of blanched greens.
At The Restaurant: Useful Phrases
今天的魚哪一種最新鮮
jīn tiān de yú nǎ yì zhǒng zuì xīn xiān
Which fish is freshest today
可以做去刺嗎，我怕魚刺
kě yǐ zuò qù cì ma, wǒ pà yú cì
Can you debone it? I’m worried about bones
請幫我換蒸的，少油少鹽
qǐng bāng wǒ huàn zhēng de, shǎo yóu shǎo yán
Please switch to steamed—less oil and salt
這道是養殖還是野生
zhè dào shì yǎng zhí hái shì yě shēng
Is this farmed or wild-caught
At The Market: Mini Dialogues
A：這條虱目魚多重
A: zhè tiáo shī mù yú duō zhòng
How heavy is this milkfish
B：差不多一點二公斤，要不要幫你去鱗去內臟
B: chà bù duō yì diǎn èr gōng jīn, yào bú yào bāng nǐ qù lín qù nèi zàng
About 1.2 kg—want me to scale and gut it
A：可以切兩片魚排嗎
A: kě yǐ qiē liǎng piàn yú pái ma
Can you cut two fillets
B：可以，我順便幫你挑大刺。
B: kě yǐ, wǒ shùn biàn bāng nǐ tiāo dà cì
Sure, I’ll remove the big bones too.
Flavor & Texture Words To Describe What You Want
鮮甜 xiān tián — naturally sweet
油脂豐富 yóu zhī fēng fù — fatty/rich
肉質扎實 ròu zhí zhā shí — firm meat
細嫩 xì nèn — delicate, tender
沒腥味 méi xīng wèi — not fishy
帶彈性 dài tán xìng — bouncy/chewy (for squid, fish balls)
Example
我想要細嫩、沒腥味的魚，適合清蒸。
wǒ xiǎng yào xì nèn, méi xīng wèi de yú, shì hé qīng zhēng
I want a delicate, non-fishy fish, good for steaming.
Allergies & Dietary Notes
我對貝類過敏，只能吃魚。
wǒ duì bèi lèi guò mǐn, zhǐ néng chī yú
I’m allergic to shellfish—fish only
請不要加花生或芝麻。
qǐng bú yào jiā huā shēng huò zhī má
Please don’t add peanuts or sesame
Idioms & Fun Phrases (Because Chinese Loves Fish)
如魚得水 rú yú dé shuǐ — like a fish in water; in one’s element
年年有餘 nián nián yǒu yú — “surplus every year,” a New Year wish using 魚 yú pun
小魚小肉 xiǎo yú xiǎo ròu — light meal, not much meat
魚與熊掌不可兼得 yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé — you can’t have it both ways
Quick Reference (Copy-Friendly)
| Need | Phrase (Trad + Pinyin) |
| salmon fillet | 鮭魚片 guī yú piàn |
| grilled mackerel | 烤鯖魚 kǎo qīng yú |
| steamed grouper | 清蒸石斑 qīng zhēng shí bān |
| whole fish | 整尾魚 zhěng wěi yú |
| deboned please | 請去刺 qǐng qù cì |
| wild-caught | 野生 yě shēng |
| farmed | 養殖 yǎng zhí |
| not too salty | 少鹽 shǎo yán |
| remove the scales | 去鱗 qù lín |
| two pieces of nigiri | 兩貫 liǎng guàn |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
Name five fish you actually eat using Chinese + pinyin (鮭魚 guī yú、鯖魚 qīng yú、虱目魚 shī mù yú、石斑 shí bān、鱸魚 lú yú).
Build one restaurant sentence with a method + flavor word: 我要清蒸鱸魚，少鹽。wǒ yào qīng zhēng lú yú, shǎo yán
Record a 20-second voice note describing how you’d buy and cook a fish using one measure word (一尾／一片) and one method (清蒸／煎).
At your next market visit, try one question about freshness or source: 今天哪一種最新鮮／是野生還是養殖
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Fish vocabulary is a menu superpower. Learn five species you love, two cooking verbs, and one brave market question, and suddenly your Traditional Chinese can navigate a night-market grill like a local—no flopping, no guesswork, just delicious.