【Reading】まる

【English Name】Maru (Whole / Round)

"Maru" is a basic Japanese word meaning a circle or sphere, and in the world of sushi and fresh-fish distribution, it has become established as an industry term meaning "a whole fish, untouched, in its complete form."

It is also deeply rooted in Japanese culture as a suffix: in ship names such as the Daigo Fukuryu Maru, in castles as honmaru, in the inscriptions of swords, and further, as seen in Ushiwakamaru and Bontenmaru, it was also used for the childhood names of boys. Such naming is generally seen as deriving from a prayer to ward off misfortune.

In fish markets and the workplaces of sushi restaurants, to distinguish it from the state of having been scaled, gutted, and three-piece filleted, an unprocessed fish is expressed as "maru" or "maru no mama" (whole as is). It is an indispensable term for accurately conveying the form in trading.

Besides this, a usage referring to a gan-yaku (round pill) of medicine hardened into a small ball has also existed since ancient times, and Seirogan is widely familiar as a representative example.