鲣 (jiān): the skipjack tuna; bonito

Meanings

鲣鱼干片是日式高汤的基本材料。

Jiānyú gān piàn shì Rìshì gāotāng de jīběn cáiliào.

Dried bonito flakes are a basic ingredient of Japanese soup stock.

usage

Almost always used in the compound 鲣鱼 (skipjack / bonito), the fish dried and shaved into the flakes used for Japanese dashi stock.

radical

鱼 yú

fish

The fish radical 鱼 marks this clearly as the name of a fish — here the skipjack tuna.

phonetic

坚 jiān

firm; here phonetic

The right side 坚 supplies the sound jiān exactly; it is purely phonetic, perhaps hinting at the firm dried flesh of the fish.

鲣 jiān