The core word is 鱼 yú, which means “fish.” Nice and simple. A lot of Chinese fish names are basically a clue plus 鱼 yú, so once you learn the pattern, the list stops looking like a wall of slippery nonsense.

Below, you will get beginner-friendly fish vocabulary, useful phrases, grouped tables, and example sentences with full pinyin. No guessing, no mystery, and only a small amount of suffering.

Quick Fish Cards

Useful Fish Phrases And Real-Life Sentences

• 这是什么鱼？ Zhè shì shénme yú? — What fish is this?
  这是什么鱼？我没见过。
  Zhè shì shénme yú? Wǒ méi jiànguo.
  What fish is this? I have not seen it before.
• 这条鱼很新鲜。 Zhè tiáo yú hěn xīnxiān. — This fish is very fresh.
  老板说这条鱼很新鲜。
  Lǎobǎn shuō zhè tiáo yú hěn xīnxiān.
  The shop owner said this fish is very fresh.
• 我想买一条鱼。 Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì tiáo yú. — I want to buy a fish.
  我想买一条鱼回家做饭。
  Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì tiáo yú huí jiā zuòfàn.
  I want to buy a fish to cook at home.
• 这个鱼刺多吗？ Zhège yú cì duō ma? — Does this fish have a lot of bones?
  给孩子吃的话，这个鱼刺多吗？
  Gěi háizi chī dehuà, zhège yú cì duō ma?
  If it is for a child, does this fish have a lot of bones?
• 我不会挑鱼。 Wǒ bú huì tiāo yú. — I do not know how to choose fish.
  第一次来市场，我不会挑鱼。
  Dì yī cì lái shìchǎng, wǒ bú huì tiāo yú.
  It is my first time at the market, and I do not know how to choose fish.
• 清蒸鱼 qīngzhēng yú — steamed fish.
  今晚我们吃清蒸鱼。
  Jīnwǎn wǒmen chī qīngzhēng yú.
  Tonight we are eating steamed fish.
• 红烧鱼 hóngshāo yú — braised fish.
  我妈妈做的红烧鱼很好吃。
  Wǒ māma zuò de hóngshāo yú hěn hǎochī.
  The braised fish my mom makes is delicious.
• 淡水鱼 dànshuǐyú — freshwater fish.
  鲤鱼是常见的淡水鱼。
  Lǐyú shì chángjiàn de dànshuǐyú.
  Carp is a common freshwater fish.
• 海鱼 hǎiyú — sea fish.
  我比较喜欢吃海鱼。
  Wǒ bǐjiào xǐhuān chī hǎiyú.
  I prefer eating sea fish.
• 鱼缸 yúgāng — fish tank, aquarium.
  客厅里有一个大鱼缸。
  Kètīng lǐ yǒu yí gè dà yúgāng.
  There is a big fish tank in the living room.
• 养鱼 yǎng yú — to keep fish.
  我朋友喜欢在家养鱼。
  Wǒ péngyou xǐhuān zài jiā yǎng yú.
  My friend likes keeping fish at home.
• 钓鱼 diàoyú — to fish.
  周末他常常去河边钓鱼。
  Zhōumò tā chángcháng qù hébiān diàoyú.
  He often goes fishing by the river on weekends.
• 鱼市 yúshì — fish market.
  早上的鱼市特别热闹。
  Zǎoshang de yúshì tèbié rènao.
  The fish market is especially lively in the morning.
• 活鱼 huóyú — live fish.
  这家店卖很多活鱼。
  Zhè jiā diàn mài hěn duō huóyú.
  This shop sells many live fish.

Everyday And Freshwater Fish Names

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
鱼	yú	fish	我会做鱼。	Wǒ huì zuò yú.	I can cook fish.
金鱼	jīnyú	goldfish	鱼缸里有三条金鱼。	Yúgāng lǐ yǒu sān tiáo jīnyú.	There are three goldfish in the tank.
鲤鱼	lǐyú	carp	公园的湖里有鲤鱼。	Gōngyuán de hú lǐ yǒu lǐyú.	There are carp in the park lake.
鲫鱼	jìyú	crucian carp	奶奶常常炖鲫鱼汤。	Nǎinai chángcháng dùn jìyú tāng.	Grandma often simmers crucian carp soup.
草鱼	cǎoyú	grass carp	这条草鱼很大。	Zhè tiáo cǎoyú hěn dà.	This grass carp is big.
鲢鱼	liányú	silver carp	市场上今天有新鲜鲢鱼。	Shìchǎng shàng jīntiān yǒu xīnxiān liányú.	There is fresh silver carp at the market today.
鳙鱼	yōngyú	bighead carp	他买了一条鳙鱼做汤。	Tā mǎi le yì tiáo yōngyú zuò tāng.	He bought a bighead carp to make soup.
鲶鱼	niányú	catfish	河边有人在钓鲶鱼。	Hébiān yǒu rén zài diào niányú.	Someone is fishing for catfish by the river.
泥鳅	níqiū	loach	小时候我见过泥鳅。	Xiǎoshíhou wǒ jiànguo níqiū.	I saw loaches when I was little.

Fish Names You Will Hear In Markets And Restaurants

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
鲈鱼	lúyú	sea bass	餐厅的鲈鱼很受欢迎。	Cāntīng de lúyú hěn shòu huānyíng.	The restaurant’s sea bass is popular.
鳜鱼	guìyú	mandarin fish	这家店的清蒸鳜鱼不错。	Zhè jiā diàn de qīngzhēng guìyú búcuò.	The steamed mandarin fish here is pretty good.
黑鱼	hēiyú	snakehead fish	黑鱼片很适合做汤。	Hēiyú piàn hěn shìhé zuò tāng.	Snakehead slices are great for soup.
罗非鱼	luófēiyú	tilapia	罗非鱼价格比较便宜。	Luófēiyú jiàgé bǐjiào piányi.	Tilapia is relatively cheap.
带鱼	dàiyú	hairtail, ribbonfish	我妈妈会做红烧带鱼。	Wǒ māma huì zuò hóngshāo dàiyú.	My mom can make braised hairtail.
黄花鱼	huánghuāyú	yellow croaker	黄花鱼味道很鲜。	Huánghuāyú wèidào hěn xiān.	Yellow croaker tastes very fresh.
鲳鱼	chāngyú	pomfret	今天晚饭有鲳鱼。	Jīntiān wǎnfàn yǒu chāngyú.	We are having pomfret for dinner.
鲷鱼	diāoyú	sea bream	这份鲷鱼饭很好吃。	Zhè fèn diāoyú fàn hěn hǎochī.	This sea bream rice bowl is tasty.
多宝鱼	duōbǎoyú	turbot	酒店常用多宝鱼做宴席菜。	Jiǔdiàn cháng yòng duōbǎoyú zuò yànxí cài.	Hotels often use turbot for banquet dishes.

Global Fish Names You Will See On Menus

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
三文鱼	sānwényú	salmon	我想点一份三文鱼沙拉。	Wǒ xiǎng diǎn yí fèn sānwényú shālā.	I want to order a salmon salad.
金枪鱼	jīnqiāngyú	tuna	他不吃金枪鱼罐头。	Tā bù chī jīnqiāngyú guàntou.	He does not eat canned tuna.
鳕鱼	xuěyú	cod	鳕鱼很适合小朋友。	Xuěyú hěn shìhé xiǎopéngyou.	Cod is great for kids.
鲭鱼	qīngyú	mackerel	超市里有冷冻鲭鱼。	Chāoshì lǐ yǒu lěngdòng qīngyú.	The supermarket has frozen mackerel.
沙丁鱼	shādīngyú	sardine	她买了两盒沙丁鱼。	Tā mǎi le liǎng hé shādīngyú.	She bought two boxes of sardines.
比目鱼	bǐmùyú	flounder	比目鱼的肉很嫩。	Bǐmùyú de ròu hěn nèn.	Flounder meat is tender.
秋刀鱼	qiūdāoyú	saury	秋天很多人喜欢吃秋刀鱼。	Qiūtiān hěn duō rén xǐhuān chī qiūdāoyú.	Many people like eating saury in autumn.
鳗鱼	mányú	eel	我最喜欢鳗鱼饭。	Wǒ zuì xǐhuān mányú fàn.	I like eel rice the most.
鳟鱼	zūnyú	trout	山区餐馆常卖鳟鱼。	Shānqū cānguǎn cháng mài zūnyú.	Mountain restaurants often sell trout.

Aquarium Fish And Wild Fish Names

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
锦鲤	jǐnlǐ	koi	池子里的锦鲤颜色很漂亮。	Chízi lǐ de jǐnlǐ yánsè hěn piàoliang.	The koi in the pond have beautiful colors.
热带鱼	rèdàiyú	tropical fish	他家养了很多热带鱼。	Tā jiā yǎng le hěn duō rèdàiyú.	His family keeps lots of tropical fish.
孔雀鱼	kǒngquèyú	guppy	孔雀鱼很适合新手。	Kǒngquèyú hěn shìhé xīnshǒu.	Guppies are great for beginners.
斗鱼	dòuyú	betta, fighting fish	这条斗鱼的尾巴很大。	Zhè tiáo dòuyú de wěiba hěn dà.	This betta’s tail is big.
神仙鱼	shénxiānyú	angelfish	神仙鱼游得很优雅。	Shénxiānyú yóu de hěn yōuyǎ.	Angelfish swim very gracefully.
龙鱼	lóngyú	arowana	有些人觉得龙鱼很吉利。	Yǒuxiē rén juéde lóngyú hěn jílì.	Some people think arowanas are lucky.
河豚	hétún	pufferfish	河豚可爱，但是不能乱吃。	Hétún kě’ài, dànshì bù néng luàn chī.	Pufferfish are cute, but you cannot eat them carelessly.
鲨鱼	shāyú	shark	纪录片里出现了大鲨鱼。	Jìlùpiàn lǐ chūxiàn le dà shāyú.	A big shark appeared in the documentary.
海马	hǎimǎ	seahorse	海马看起来不像普通的鱼。	Hǎimǎ kàn qǐlái bù xiàng pǔtōng de yú.	Seahorses do not look like ordinary fish.

Helpful Fish-Market Words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
一条鱼	yì tiáo yú	one fish	我想买一条鱼。	Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì tiáo yú.	I want to buy one fish.
两条金鱼	liǎng tiáo jīnyú	two goldfish	她养了两条金鱼。	Tā yǎng le liǎng tiáo jīnyú.	She keeps two goldfish.
鱼刺	yúcì	fish bones	小孩子吃鱼要小心鱼刺。	Xiǎoháizi chī yú yào xiǎoxīn yúcì.	Children should be careful of fish bones when eating fish.
鱼肉	yúròu	fish meat	这种鱼的鱼肉很嫩。	Zhè zhǒng yú de yúròu hěn nèn.	The meat of this fish is very tender.
新鲜	xīnxiān	fresh	这条鱼真的很新鲜。	Zhè tiáo yú zhēnde hěn xīnxiān.	This fish is really fresh.
活鱼	huóyú	live fish	水箱里有很多活鱼。	Shuǐxiāng lǐ yǒu hěn duō huóyú.	There are many live fish in the tank.
鱼缸	yúgāng	fish tank	客厅里的鱼缸很大。	Kètīng lǐ de yúgāng hěn dà.	The fish tank in the living room is big.

FAQ

What Is “Fish” In Chinese?

鱼 yú means “fish.” It is the basic word you will see again and again inside longer fish names.

Do Most Fish Names End With 鱼 yú?

Yes, many do, such as 鲈鱼 lúyú, 鳕鱼 xuěyú, and 鲨鱼 shāyú. A few common names, such as 锦鲤 jǐnlǐ and 海马 hǎimǎ, do not follow the pattern exactly.

How Do You Count Fish In Chinese?

Use the classifier 条 tiáo. Say 一条鱼 yì tiáo yú for “one fish” and 两条金鱼 liǎng tiáo jīnyú for “two goldfish.”

Fish names in Chinese get much easier once you lock in 鱼 yú, learn the classifier 条 tiáo, and pick a few high-frequency words you will actually see in daily life. Start with the common ones, notice the patterns, and let the rare fish wait their turn. They are still fish. They can cope.