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鰓 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鰓sāifish gillsx, 20 strokes, radical 魚
sāi(sai1) T1
  1. 1fish gills
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

鰓sāi(sai1)

The character 鰓 (sāi) refers specifically to the gills of fish, which are the respiratory organs that allow them to extract oxygen from water. This term is primarily used in biological or ecological contexts, particularly when discussing marine life and their anatomy.

Strokes20Radical魚
Cultural Note

In Chinese cuisine, understanding fish anatomy, including 鰓, is important when preparing and cooking fish dishes, as fresh fish is a staple in many regional diets.

Memory Tip

Think of 鰓 as 'sigh' for fish—when they 'sigh' underwater, they are using their gills (鰓) to breathe. The radical 鱼 (yú), meaning fish, is a key component, helping you to visualize the idea of underwater breathing.

Meanings of 鰓

sāi(sai1)
1fish gills
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鰓

鰓Simplified
20Strokes
魚Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鰓

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Podcast: 鰓

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 鰓

Quick Contrast

鳃 (sāi) refers to the gills of fish in a more general sense, while 鰓 (sāi) is used specifically in scientific contexts.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 鰓 with similar terms referring to other parts of aquatic animals or related anatomy. This term is primarily used in formal contexts, such as scientific discussions about marine biology.

HSK Study Tips

Although 鰓 is not an HSK vocabulary word, it can be connected to HSK Level 3-4 words related to animals and biology, such as 鱼 (yú - fish) and 水 (shuǐ - water). Students should focus on recognizing the radical 鱼 to help identify related vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 鰓 with 鱼 (yú - fish) without recognizing the specific meaning of gills. For example, using 鱼来呼吸 (yú lái hūxī - fish breathe) instead of 鰓来呼吸 (sāi lái hūxī - gills breathe) is incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鰓

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Etymology of 鰓

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 思 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鰓.

Memory Hint

fish

Semantic (meaning)魚
+
Phonetic (sound)思
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鰓

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 思 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鰓.

  1. 1The meaning half魚 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half思 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayfish
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 鰓? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 鰓?

Decomposition of 鰓

IDS Structure⿰魚思
鰓Full Character
=
魚yu2
left
思si1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鰓?

How to say fish gills in Chinese

“fish gills” in Chinese is鰓sāi

The character 鰓 (sāi) refers specifically to the gills of fish, which are the respiratory organs that allow them to extract oxygen from water. This term is primarily used in biological or ecological contexts, particularly when discussing marine life and their anatomy.

When to use 鰓

Be careful not to confuse 鰓 with similar terms referring to other parts of aquatic animals or related anatomy. This term is primarily used in formal contexts, such as scientific discussions about marine biology.

鰓 or something close to it

鳃 (sāi) refers to the gills of fish in a more general sense, while 鰓 (sāi) is used specifically in scientific contexts.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 鰓 with 鱼 (yú - fish) without recognizing the specific meaning of gills. For example, using 鱼来呼吸 (yú lái hūxī - fish breathe) instead of 鰓来呼吸 (sāi lái hūxī - gills breathe) is incorrect.

Write 鰓

鰓

Practice writing 鰓 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 鰓

Words Containing This Character3
鳃sāigills of fish鰓
鳃裂gill slit (in fish)鰓裂
鳃弓visceral arch (gill-bearing arch or its vestigial crease on sides of neck of vertebrates)鰓弓
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 鳃 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鰓

The pronunciation is sāi, with a first tone.

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Not sure what to learn after 鰓?

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