まぐろ（まぐろ、maguro）
- tuna

The Japanese word まぐろ (maguro) refers to tuna. It is a type of large, saltwater fish highly valued for its meat, especially in Japanese cuisine. Tuna is often used in sushi and sashimi. There are several species of tuna, but the most prized for sushi is the bluefin tuna.

⚫︎ まぐろのお寿司が食べたい。 Translation: I want to eat tuna sushi. ⚫︎ 新鮮なまぐろはとても美味しい。 Translation: Fresh tuna is very delicious. ⚫︎ まぐろのまぐろが有名なレストランに行きましょう。 Translation: Let's go to a restaurant famous for its tuna.

You use まぐろ when talking about tuna, either the fish itself, or dishes that contain it. It's a common word in conversations about food, especially if you are at a sushi restaurant, or discussing seafood. You can use it in any situation to refer to this specific kind of fish.

まぐろ is primarily written in hiragana, as shown above. ⚫︎ Katakana: Sometimes, foreign words or words for emphasis are written in katakana. You might see マグロ (Maguro). ⚫︎ Kanji: While not commonly used, the kanji for まぐろ are 鮪. This is because the kanji is not very often used and is not included in the joyo kanji.

There are no direct synonyms for まぐろ in the sense of another word for "tuna." However, you might use: ⚫︎ "Tuna" (in English) when speaking in English. ⚫︎ Specific species names, such as 本まぐろ ("honmaguro," meaning bluefin tuna).

There aren't specific antonyms, because there is no word for a non-tuna fish. One could say, using a general term, "other fish" or refer to a different specific fish, such as salmon サーモン or squid イカ.

今日の晩ご飯はまぐろの刺身にしよう！ ・Translation: Let's have tuna sashimi for dinner tonight! ・Explanation: This sentence suggests a plan for the evening meal, highlighting the use of tuna.

このまぐろはとても脂がのっていて美味しい。 ・Translation: This tuna is very fatty and delicious. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the quality of the tuna.

The etymology of まぐろ isn't definitively known. One theory suggests it comes from the verb 剥ぐ (hagu, to peel) because the flesh is removed from the fish. Another theory suggests it relates to the fish's large eyes, or related to the fish's name in certain dialects.