A study on East-Asian designations of 
pufferfish

Abstract

In ancient Korea, pufferfish were called “복” or “복어,” whereas they have been called “hétún” (河豚) since the Ming dynasty in China, and were called “fugu” in ancient Japan. Since the introduction of the Chinese term “hétún” (河豚) into Korean and Japanese, pufferfish in Korea, China, and Japan have all been named “河豚.”

Besides “하돈” (the Korean pronunciation of 河豚), pufferfish have been given various designations, such as the following: “후태” (鯸鮐) or “반어” (斑魚) based upon body patterns; “후이” (鯸鮧)” or “호이” (鰗鮧) by shape; and 
“기포어” (氣泡魚), “취두어” (吹肚魚), and “布久” by the look of its swollen belly. Other designations, such as “검돈” (黔魨), “작돈” (鵲魨), “활돈” (滑魨), “とらふぐ,” “からす,” and “ヒガンフグ,” were derived from pufferfish species, and designations like “진어” (嗔鱼) and “てっぽう” that originated from their habit also exist.

As above, “복어” has various designations in each of the three countries, Korea, China, and Japan. These designations, composed of Chinese characters, influenced the others, and each country and ethnic group helped to form or transform new vocabularies. In particular, numerous terms concerning object designations in the forms of Chinese characters reveal hidden definitions of the ethnic groups and cultures in these designations.

This study is focused on puffer designations in Korea, China, and Japan, how the puffer was named in each country from ancient through to modern times, and where the designations originated, and tries to determine the characteristics of each country’s puffer designations through investigation of the species and types of “pufferfish.”