Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2021 April 23

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April 23

Japanese word "saku"

In preparation for making a Salade niçoise for dinner tonight, I bought a nice rectangular slab of yellowfin tuna that was described as a "saku block" in California where I live. I searched online for the precise meaning of "saku block" and found that seafood sales websites say that "saku" means "block" in Japanese, which is a bit redundant. Then, I found this Japanese-English dictionary that doesn't say anything about rectangular slabs or blocks. The closest definition is #2 "to cut up; to cleave; to cut open (esp. the abdomen)". So, what is the correct translation for this commercial tuna product in 2021? Is this a concept that should be covered in this encyclopedia? Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 05:44, 23 April 2021 (UTC)

This Japanese web page states that tuna sold as a block-shaped fillet is often called "サク", which is katakana for "saku". One would expect a native Japanese word, if rendered in one of the kana syllabaries, to be given in hiragana, thus: さく. Other websites (e.g. here) use the same katakana rendering, which suggests that Japanese speakers consider this a loanword.  --Lambiam 10:24, 23 April 2021 (UTC)

As mentioned in the linked article on katakana, katakana is also commonly (but not obligatorily) used for native Japanese words relating to animal and plant names; this usage can also spill over into the culinary sphere, so it is unlikely that a Japanese speaker would consider it a loanword simply because it is most commonly written in katakana. A definition for this word can be found in the Japanese Wiktionary here; it reads "鮪などの魚を、刺身などが作りやすいように切り分けたもの" (roughly, "a carved portion of fish such as tuna used to facilitate the preparation of sashimi, etcetera"). Notably the headword for this definition is given in hiragana rather than katakana, with three kanji listed as ateji for it. Unfortunately no etymology is provided. 124.168.196.51 (talk) 13:44, 23 April 2021 (UTC)

It is plausible then that it is related to 割, which has a kun reading sa(ku), for which one of my dictionaries lists the meanings "cut up, cleave; sever, separate, divide; spare (time); cede, alienate".  --Lambiam 17:20, 23 April 2021 (UTC)