Kanji with the fish radical by frequency

Just for fun: Here are all Japanese characters with the fish radical, occurring in Aozora Bunko works, sorted by frequency. Aozora Bunko is a large electronic library of Japanese public domain literary works, including many literary classics with expired copyrights. It contains close to 100 milion words. I downloaded and processed the whole thing, extracted the relevant kanji and computed the frequencies.

In the table below, Count is the total number of occurences, Frequency is relative frequency within the characters sharing the same radical. The Readings and Meanings are taken from KANJIDIC.

Some observations: Only three of them (魚, 鮮, and 鯨) are jōyō (“common use”) kanji (marked in red), yet if you go to a restaurant, you will see plenty of these. (Would a frequency list based on restaurant menus be different?) Most of the characters denote fish, some denote other creatures (鯨 whale, 鰐 alligator, 鮑 abalone), some are related to fish (鮨 sushi, 鰭 fin), and a few have no direct connection with fish (鮮 fresh, 魯 foolish). There is a lot of kokuji (characters created in Japan, as opposed to those imported from China).

Note that characters just containing fish as a component, not radical, are not included (such as 漁).

Tip: If you just want a list of all Chinese and Japanese characters with a certain radical try this (technical note: limited to Unicode BMP).

CharacterCountFrequencyReadingsEnglish meaning
魚1410234.773 %ギョ うお さかな
-ざかな (nanori: い)
fish
鮮771119.014 %セン あざ.やかfresh, vivid, clear, brilliant, Korea
鯉16944.177 %リ こいcarp
鮎16614.096 %デン ネン あゆ なまず
(nanori: あい)
freshwater trout, smelt
鯨14643.610 %ゲイ くじらwhale
魯12293.031 %ロ おろかfoolish, Russia
鯛10862.678 %チョウ たいsea bream, red snapper
鱈10602.614 %セツ たらcodfish (kokuji)
鱗10572.606 %リン うろこ こけ
こけら
scales (fish)
鰻9332.301 %マン バン うなぎeel
鮒7261.790 %ホ フ ブ ふなcarp
鮭5551.369 %カイ ケイ さけ
しゃけ ふぐ
salmon
鮨5481.351 %シ キ すしsushi, seasoned rice
鮫5451.344 %コウ さめ みずちshark
鰯5411.334 %いわしsardine (kokuji)
鰹4991.230 %ケン かつおbonito
鰭4601.134 %キ ギ ひれfin
鰐4601.134 %ガク わにalligator, crocodile
鱒4341.070 %ソン セン ザン ますsalmon trout
鰌3240.799 %シュ シュウ どじょうloach (fish)
鯰2920.720 %ネン なまずfresh-water catfish (kokuji)
鰊2210.545 %レン にしんherring
鮪2190.540 %キ ユウ イ
まぐろ しび
tuna
鯱2100.518 %しゃちほこ しゃちfabulous dolphin-like fish, killer whale (kokuji)
鯖2100.518 %セイ ショウ さばmackerel
鱸1980.488 %ロ すずきsea bass
鮓1960.483 %サ すしsushi, seasoned rice
鰍1650.407 %シュウ シュ かじか
いなだ どじょう
bullhead
鮑1640.404 %ホ ホウ あわびabalone
鰡1580.390 %リュウ ル ぼらtype of fish, mullet
鱶1490.367 %ショウ ヨウ
ふか ひもの
shark
鰺1210.298 %ソウ あじhorse mackerel
鰈1000.247 %チョウ トウ かれいsole, flatfish, flounder
鰥800.197 %カン コン やもめ
やもお
widower, unmarried man
鮠800.197 %カイ ゲ ガイ
はえ はや
dace (carp) (kokuji)
鰒770.190 %フク あわび ふぐabalone, puffer fish
鰤730.180 %シ ソウ ぶり はまち かますyellowtail
鮹620.153 %ショウ ソウ たこoctopus
鱚580.143 %きすsillaginoid (kokuji)
鱇570.141 %コウanglerfish
鯔570.141 %シ ぼら とどmullet (fish)
鮟570.141 %アンangler-fish
鰕470.116 %カ えびshrimp, prawn, lobster
鯡470.116 %ヒ にしん はららごherring
鱧440.108 %レイ はもconger, sea eel
鰓440.108 %サイ シ えらgills, gill slits
鯣390.096 %エキ するめcuttlefish
鯵330.081 %ソウ あじhorse mackerel
鯊320.079 %サ シャ さめ はぜgoby (fish)
鰮310.076 %オン いわしsardine
鱠300.074 %カイ ケ えそ なますlizard fish
魴260.064 %ホウ かがみたい おしきうお
かがみだい
type of sea bream
鯤220.054 %コンlarge mythical fish, roe
鰆190.047 %シュン さわらSpanish mackerel
鯒160.039 %こちflathead (fish) (kokuji)
鮴80.020 %めばる まて こち ごりbullhead, rockfish, razor clam, flathead (kokuji)
鰔40.010 %カン かれい たらflatfish, turbot, cod
鰉30.007 %コウ ちょうざめ
ひがい
sturgeon
鯢30.007 %ゲイ さんしょううおsalamander, female whale, small fish, old person's teeth
鮃30.007 %ヒョウ ヘイ ひらめflounder, flatfish
鰾20.005 %ヒョウ ふえ
うきぶくろ
fish bladder
鰰20.005 %はたはたsandfish (kokuji)
鯀20.005 %コンlarge mythical fish, proper name
鰲10.002 %ゴウ おおがめhuge sea turtle
鰛10.002 %オン いわしsardine
鯑10.002 %かずのこyellow fish (herring) eggs (sushi) (kokuji)
鮗10.002 %このしろgizzard shad (kokuji)