Meaning & use
ahi
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Meaning
nouncountable or uncountableregional
A large tuna with yellow fins, or its firm red flesh eaten as food.
Grammar: Countable for the live fish (two ahi), uncountable for the meat (a plate of ahi).
Patterns
- grilled ahi
- ahi tuna
- catch ahi
The restaurant serves grilled ahi with rice and greens.
Fishermen brought in a large ahi just before sunset.
Ahi is often eaten raw in poke bowls.
Word forms
| plural | ahi |
|---|
Common combinations
- ahi tuna
- The menu lists ahi tuna with a sesame glaze.
- grilled ahi
- We ordered grilled ahi and a green salad.
- seared ahi
- Seared ahi is cooked quickly on the outside and left pink inside.
- ahi poke
- Ahi poke is a Hawaiian dish of raw tuna cut into cubes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- yellowfin tuna
- The standard English name of the fish; ahi is the Hawaiian name used especially on menus.
- tuna
- The general word for the whole group of fish; ahi refers only to this kind.
Word family
- ahi poke noun
- A Hawaiian dish made with raw ahi and seasonings.
Commonly confused: ahi or ahi?
ahi vs ahi
Do not confuse with 'ahi' in other languages, where it can mean fire or chilli; in English it refers to the fish.
Practice
What does 'ahi' mean in English?
Choose one answer.
In English, ahi is a Hawaiian name for yellowfin tuna, common on menus. The other options are different foods or animals and do not match this word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ahi”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.