寿司

See also: 壽司

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 寿司 – see 壽司 (“sushi”). (This term is the simplified form of 壽司).
Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Japanese

Etymology 1

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

寿司

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Sushi

Wikipedia

A plate of maki-zushi, sushi rolled up in dried seaweed.

Kanji in this term
寿	司
す Grade: S (ateji)	し Grade: 4 (ateji)
kan'yōon	on'yomi

Alternative spellings
壽司 (kyūjitai) 鮨鮓

From 酸し (sushi, “sour”), the archaic し (shi) terminal-form conjugation of modern 酸い (sui, “sour”).^[1]^[2]^[3]

Originally, sushi was a form of fish that had been salted and fermented for preservation without refrigeration. The fish was sometimes packed with rice or rice mixed with vinegar in order to speed the fermentation process. In the Edo period, this was also known as hayazushi (早鮨, 早鮓) when packed in layers, pressed, and fermented for just one night. Something similar is still prepared today as narezushi (馴鮨, 熟鮨) that relies on fermentation with no added vinegar.

The kanji are an example of ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) すし [sùshíꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[2]^[4]^[5]
(Tokyo) すし [súꜜshì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]^[4]^[5]
IPA^(key): [sɨɕi]

Noun

寿(す)司(し) • (sushi)

sushi: vinegared rice served with fish or vegetables, etc.

Usage notes

Sushi may be counted a number of ways:

Using the generic つ (tsu): 一つ (hitotsu), 二つ (futatsu)
Using the generic 個 (ko): 一個 (ikko), 二個 (niko)
Using the counter かん or 貫 (kan): 一貫 (ikkan), 二貫 (nikan)

Historically, かん or 貫 (kan) is a relatively recent innovation, appearing in the 1970s. In the Edo period when modern sushi first starts to appear, and all the way through the Meiji or Taishō periods, records only show the use of the generic つ (tsu) and 個 (ko) counters.^[6]

Derived terms

お寿司(すし) (osushi): sushi (polite form)
握(にぎ)り寿司(ずし) (nigirizushi): sushi, hand-shaped sushi
巻(ま)き寿司(ずし) (makizushi): rolls, sushi rolls, maki
押(お)し寿司(ずし) (oshizushi): soft-pressed sushi topped with ingredients
ちらし寿司(ずし) (chirashizushi): decorated sushi topped with ingredients
回(かい)転(てん)寿(ず)司(し) (kaiten zushi): conveyor belt sushi
寿(す)司(し)店(てん) (sushiten): a sushi shop, a sushi restaurant

Descendants

→ Danish: sushi c
→ English: sushi
→ French: sushi m
→ German: Sushi n
→ Indonesian: susyi
→ Italian: sushi m
→ Korean: 스시 (seusi)
→ Polish: sushi n
→ Portuguese: sushi m
→ Russian: суши (suši)
→ Spanish: sushi m

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
寿	司
ひさ Grade: S	し Grade: 4 (ateji)
nanori	on'yomi

Alternative spellings
壽司 (kyūjitai) 久紫ひさ志常悠央久尚四寿志昂

From classical adjective 久(ひさ)し (hisashi, whence modern 久(ひさ)しい (hisashī, “long-lasting, persisting for a long time”)).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [çisa̠ɕi]

Proper noun

寿(ひさ)司(し) • (Hisashi)

a male given name

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ 飯田朝子 (Asako Iida) (2004 04) 町田健 (Ken Machida), editor, 数え方の辞典 (Kazoekata no Jiten, “Counter Dictionary”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shōgakukan, retrieved 2013-07-08
『改訂食品事典』(1974)によると、昭和時代、仕上げた料理を2個盛り付けることを料理人の間で「にかん盛り」と言うようになり、「かん」を「個」の意味で使ったとあります。
According to the Revised Food Dictionary (1974), it was in the Shōwa period that chefs started to call a plate with two completed sushi servings a “two-kan plate”, using “kan” to mean “piece”.

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJS-3] Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[SMK5-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-5] 5.0 ^5.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[6] 飯田朝子 (Asako Iida) (2004 04) 町田健 (Ken Machida), editor, 数え方の辞典 (Kazoekata no Jiten, “Counter Dictionary”)‎^[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shōgakukan, retrieved 2013-07-08
『改訂食品事典』(1974)によると、昭和時代、仕上げた料理を2個盛り付けることを料理人の間で「にかん盛り」と言うようになり、「かん」を「個」の意味で使ったとあります。
According to the Revised Food Dictionary (1974), it was in the Shōwa period that chefs started to call a plate with two completed sushi servings a “two-kan plate”, using “kan” to mean “piece”.

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