Etymology

Compound of 源五郎 ‎(Gengorō, “male given name”) +‎ 鮒 ‎(funa, “crucian carp”). The funa changes to buna due to rendaku (連濁).

According to one theory, the Gengorō portion was the name of a fisherman who fished in Lake Biwa, and every morning, presented the best of his catch of funa to the local lord. In another theory, this term arose from a tale about a Lake Biwa fisherman named Gengorō, who fell in love with a noblewoman and arranged a secret meeting with her by hiding a note inside a gengorōbuna fish that he had caught and presented to her.

Like many biology terms, this word is often spelled in katakana, as ゲンゴロウブナ.

Pronunciation

• Mixed:
  • On'yomi for Gengorō
  • Kun'yomi for buna
• (Tokyo) げんごろうぶ​な [gèńgóróóbúꜜnà] (Nakadaka - [6])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɡẽ̞ŋɡ̃o̞ɺ̠o̞ːbɯ̃ᵝna̠]