雑魚

Japanese

Kanji in this term
雑	魚
ざこ
Grade: 5	Grade: 2
jukujikun

Alternative spellings
雜魚 (kyūjitai) 雑喉

Alternative forms

• ざぁこ (zāko, interjection associated with the fictional メスガキ (mesugaki) trope)

Etymology

From 雑喉(ざっこう) (zakkō).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ざこ [záꜜkò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [d͡za̠ko̞]

• (Tokyo) じゃこ [jáꜜkò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑa̠ko̞]

• IPA^(key): [iza̠ko̞]

Noun

雑魚(ざこ) or 雑魚(じゃこ) or 雑魚(いざこ) or 雑魚(ざっこう) or 雑魚(ざっこ) or 雑魚(ざこう) • (zako or jako or izako or zakkō or zakko or zakō)  (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?)

1. small fry; small, worthless fishes; coarse fishes with low market value
2. (figuratively) a weak or useless person

Usage notes

Readings 4, 5, and 6 are all obsolete.

Derived terms

• 雑魚寝(ざこね) (zakone)
• 縮緬雑魚(ちりめんざこ) (chirimen zako)
• 雑魚(ざこ)キャラ (zako kyara)
• 雑魚(ざこ)キャラクター (zako kyarakutā)

Descendants

• → Chinese: 雜魚 / 杂鱼