noun
General term for rays and skates (superorder Batoidea). Usually written in katakana as エイ.
水族館で大きなエイを見た。
I saw a big ray at the aquarium.
エイは海底に住んでいる。
Rays live on the ocean floor.
Rare kanji form; not in common use.
Rare kanji form; not in common use.
The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji forms are rare and not etymologically transparent.