Dictionary

sayori en · NOUN

Etymology

Transliteration of Japanese 細魚 /針魚 (sayori, literally “slender/needle fish”).

Meanings

1. A slender, surface-dwelling fish of the species Hyporhamphus sajori in the halfbeak family, native to coastal waters influenced by warm currents.
   • I loved the almost transparent lightness of sayori, or needlefish, contrasted with the mild brininess of the kohada, which Mr. [Tatsuya] Nagata calls spotted sardine and which I’ve also seen referred to as gizzard shad. 2001 July 11, Eric Asimov, “$25 and Under: Artful Sushi and an Engaging Chef, in the East Village”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 May 2015:
   • Earlier in the meal, I especially enjoyed the fresh fish course, an arrangement of delicate, silvery sayori with plump, rosy clams called aoyagi, which are briny but sweet. 1996 August 25, Elizabeth Andoh, “For Japan’s Female Chefs, More Than Home Fires”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2015:
   • Sashimi came next. It contained two kinds of what our waitress called puffy tuna. It was toro, the rich, pink, most prized part of the fish, surrounded by tile fish and tiny little strips of a seasonal specialty fish called sayori. 1995 November 10, Ruth Reichl, “Restaurants”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2015:
   • We tried a lot of seasonal fish like sayori, silverfish and some squid. 2025 April 29, Kenji Hall, quoting Sonoko Sakai, “[The 25 Essential Seafood Dishes to Eat in Tokyo] 22. The Sushi at Osushi Isobe”, in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2025:
   • “Do you have any of Hiroshige’s fish?” [Tom] Kretchmar asked. [Tomomi] Seki disappeared into a back office and returned with several prints of fish. “Beautiful,” Kretchmar said, identifying the fish as sayori and amadai. 2018 June 7, Irina Aleksander, “[Love City: 24 Hours of Romance, Lust and Heartache in New York] Gramercy Tavern, Manhattan”, in The New York Times Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Jun 2018:

Forms

Synonyms

Japanese needlefish · Japanese halfbeak