What is the Japanese term for salmon?

The Japanese term for salmon is sake, written 鮭. In sushi contexts, it identifies salmon as a topping or ingredient, while the same romanized spelling can create confusion with sake, the Japanese alcoholic drink.

The fish term is pronounced differently from the English pronunciation commonly used for the beverage. Salmon appears in many forms of sushi, including salmon nigiri, salmon maki, and salmon sashimi. It may be served raw, lightly seared, smoked, or cooked, depending on the dish and restaurant.

Japanese sushi vocabulary includes several fish names that are easy to mix up. Maguro means tuna, hamachi usually means young yellowtail, and unagi means freshwater eel. Sake is therefore the salmon entry in this particular set of terms.

The spelling is also sometimes rendered as shaké or shake in English-language guides to make the pronunciation clearer. That spelling distinction helps separate the fish from the beverage, but “sake” remains a standard romanization for 鮭 in sushi terminology.