Meanings
- Japanesehuman sciencesA mythological monster that resembles an enormous shark, said to live off the coast of western Japan.
Another Japanese giant fish is Isonade, a sharklike sea monster that causes strong winds and also capsizes boats or catches unwary fishermen with the hooks on its huge tail.
2011, Gene Helfman, Bruce Collette, “Fishes in Stories and Literature”, in Fishes: The Animal Answer Guide, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 1312 more examples
With more than 70% of the Earth's surface submerged beneath water, it comes as no surprise that throughout history mankind has been fascinated with the seas and oceans. In earlier years this fascination manifested itself in the form of fear and mystery; […] in Japanese stories, fierce winds would blow whenever Isonade, a shark-like sea monster, appeared.
2009 June, Marios Christou, “Introduction”, in Fully Nonlinear Computations of Waves and Wave-structure Interaction (unpublished Ph.D. thesis), London: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, →DOI, →OCLC, page 25Nipponese sailors traveling along the western coast of Japan are warned to keep a weather eye open for the Isonade, akin in form to a huge shark with hook-like barbs on its tail. Much as the giant namazu catfish of Japanese legend is associated with earthquakes, the movements of the gigantic Isonade are said to be the source of sudden changes in sea currents and winds from the north.
2014 summer, Jonathan Maniscalco, “Seven Entries from The New Book of Imaginary Beings”, in Jonathan Maniscalco, Frances Gossen, editors, Clarion, number 17, Boston, Mass.: The Pen & Anvil Press; Boston University Literary Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Jul 2022, section iii (The Isonade), page 107
Origin
Transliteration of Japanese 磯撫で (いそなで, Isonade, literally “shore stroker”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic إيسونادي
- إيسوناديmythological monster that resembles an enormous shark said to live off the coast of western Japan
Chinese Mandarin 磯龍捲 /矶龙卷
- 磯龍捲 /矶龙卷 (Jīlóngjuǎn)mythological monster that resembles an enormous shark said to live off the coast of western Japan
Finnish Isonade
- Isonademythological monster that resembles an enormous shark said to live off the coast of western Japan
Japanese 磯撫で
- 磯撫で (Isonade)mythological monster that resembles an enormous shark said to live off the coast of western Japan
Persian ایسناده
- ایسنادهmythological monster that resembles an enormous shark said to live off the coast of western Japan
Russian Исонадэ
- Исонадэ (Isonadɛ)mythological monster that resembles an enormous shark said to live off the coast of western Japan
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Isonade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Isonade
“Isonade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Isonade. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Isonade,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Isonade.
Source: Isonade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.