Lambda Ceti is a star in the equatorial constellation of Cetus. Its name is a Bayer designation that is Latinized from û Ceti, and abbreviated Lambda Cet or û Cet. Historically, the star bore the traditional name Menkar, although today that name is more commonly associated with ñ Ceti. With an apparent visual magnitude of 4.71, it is faintly visible to the naked eye. Based on parallax measurement of as seen from Earth, it is located at a distance of approximately from the Sun. The star is drifting further away with a line of sight velocity component of 10 km/s.
This star, along with ñ Cet (Menkar), ó Cet (Kaffaljidhma), ô Cet, ü Cet, þ<sup>1</sup> Cet and þ<sup>2</sup> Cet were Al Kaff al Jidhmah, "the Part of a Hand".
In Chinese, (), meaning Circular Celestial Granary, refers to an asterism consisting of û Ceti, ñ Ceti, ú<sup>1</sup> Ceti, ü Ceti, þ<sup>1</sup> Ceti, þ<sup>2</sup> Ceti, ý Ceti, ó Ceti, ô Ceti, 75 Ceti, 70 Ceti, 63 Ceti and 66 Ceti. Consequently, the Chinese name for û Ceti itself is (, .)
Lambda Ceti is a blue giant star with stellar classification B6III. It is an estimated 100-125 million years old, and is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of 131 km/s. It has five times the mass of the Sun and 5.4 times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 920 times the Sun's luminosity at an effective temperature of 13,940 K.