Have you ever been to an authentic restaurant and wished you had a sushi dictionary? The words seem deceptively simple, but when expensive raw seafood is at stake, there’s little room for error!
What started out as a finger food fast food meal in Japan long ago has become an international craving. Sushi has a fanatic following – you’re either terribly addicted or you just don’t understand why people would want to pay so much for mostly raw fish.
Knowing some of the most useful sushi terms will enhance your experience, as will knowing how to eat sushi the right way. If you’re already hatching a run to the nearest restaurant after reading this, take your favorite food to the next level by learning the associated Japanese words for sushi.
Sushi vs. Sashimi
Although the term “sushi” is now used as a generic word to refer to the entire genre of food, the original term only referred to sticky, pickled rice.
The uninitiated often refer to all raw fish as ‘sushi’, however there are many cooked and even vegetarian / vegan versions of sushi. Although the different varieties of fish are generally served raw, octopus, eel, and other types of sushi are sometimes cooked due to texture.
The correct term for a piece of seafood (usually raw) cut into thin slices and served without the accompanying rice is sashimi .
Eat sushi and sashimi
Chopsticks (preferably non-disposable) are used to eat sashimi, while other types of sushi can be eaten with your fingers.
Knowing a little chopstick etiquette is good for formal or authentic dining settings. For example, pointing with chopsticks and saying “You have to try this!” it’s bad etiquette with or without a bite.
Types of sushi
- Maki: As most Americans think of when they hear the word “sushi,” maki actually means “roll” in Japanese. Maki refers to any type of sushi created with a makisu , the bamboo mat used to roll sushi. Maki rolls are generally cut into 6–8 pieces.
- Nigiri – A strip of pickled sushi rice with a piece of fish expertly pressed to stick on top. Sometimes octopus or eel are served on top of rice. Sometimes a piece of nori seaweed can be used to keep the fish on top. Nigiri should be eaten with your fingers. If soy sauce is applied, turn the nigiri chunk upside down so that only the fish is submerged, allowing the rice to remain intact.
- Hosomaki – The smallest maki rolls, usually with a crunch inside. They contain fewer ingredients and only have nori seaweed on the outside.
- Futomaki – The largest maki rolls, cut thinner due to their size. Futomaki rolls are traditionally eaten uncut during Setsubun night in some regions of Japan.
- Sashimi – Often incorrectly referred to as sushi, sashimi is just slices of raw fish served without rice. Sashimi is normally eaten with chopsticks rather than fingers.
- Temaki: A temaki is a cone-shaped hand roll about four inches long made of nori seaweed and filled with rice and fish. Temaki is often eaten as a form of sushi on the go.
- Uramaki: Not traditional or very Japanese, the uramaki rolls are “upside down” with the nori seaweed wrapped around the ingredients in the middle and the rice stuck to the outside. Sesame seeds or roe often stick to rice, causing them to be eaten with your fingers.
- Chirashi – Not so common outside of Japan, chirashi is a sushi rice dish topped with a variety of sashimi and side dishes.
Sushi terms to know
- Nori – The dried black and green seaweed used in the sheets to create sushi. Nori was once scraped off the docks and dried in the sun; today it is cultivated.
- Roe: fish eggs laid on top of sushi to add color, texture, and saltiness. Roe are used by a variety of creatures, particularly flying fish ( tobiko ) and sea urchins.
- Hashi: The Japanese word for chopsticks. Chopsticks are used to eat sashimi; other forms of sushi must be eaten with the fingers.
- Makisu: The bamboo mat used to roll makizushi.
- Kaiten Zushi: Known as “sushi train” or “conveyor belt” sushi, these restaurants allow diners to select what they want as dishes move on a conveyor belt. Plates are often color-coded by price. The first conveyor belt sushi restaurant opened in Japan in 1958.
- Itamae: The title awarded to a professional sushi chef. Sushi chefs are respected as artists.
Main ingredients for sushi
The main component in a piece of sushi, particularly nigiri, is known as net .
- Maguro: Tuna (many different words denote species and cuts of tuna).
- Bull: the fattest part of a fish, often tuna; It is usually the most expensive and requested piece.
- Hamachi: yellowtail fish
- Kurodai: snapper
- Saba: Mackerel (usually cut with a little skin on one side and served as sashimi).
- Sake: salmon. Yes, it is the same word for the spirit of fermented rice, but it is pronounced slightly differently, sometimes as “sha-keh.” Salmon was introduced as a sushi ingredient in Japan by a Norwegian businessman in the 1980s!
- Unagi: freshwater eel; anago is marine eel. Unagi is usually cooked on the grill and drizzled with a sweet sauce rather than eaten raw.
- Tako: Octopus
- Ika: squid
- Ebi: shrimp
- Kani: Crab (king crab, not surimi which is made from imitation crab)
- Hotate: Scallop
- Kaki: Oyster
- Uni: sea urchin
- Mirugai: Clam (one type of many)
- Awabi: abalone
- Tamago: sweet egg; tamagoyaki is used to refer to sweet square tortillas.
- Surimi – Imitation crab or lobster meat made with fish paste (often haddock or cod). Kani kama is a term for imitating crab meat.
Sushi sides
- Wasabi: Term used for the spicy, green pasta that is provided with sushi. Real Japanese wasabi root is perishable and expensive, so dyed horseradish is often substituted. Wasabi was originally used as an antimicrobial agent to accompany raw fish. Sushi masters already apply the correct amount of wasabi; adding more in a good restaurant can be seen as bad etiquette.
- Gari: pickled ginger slices served with sushi. Gari is used to cleanse the palate between different types of pieces. Ginger also aids digestion and helps kill microbes in raw fish. Never eat ginger at the same time as a bite of sushi!
- Daikon – Not to be confused with ginger, daikon is a mild-flavored white radish that is often grated as a garnish to provide a crunchy texture. Pickled daikon is known as takuan in Japanese.
- Edamame – Young soybeans, steamed or boiled in the pod, are often served as a snack to accompany sushi.
- Sake: correctly pronounced “sah-keh” not “sah-key”. Fermented rice wine served hot or cold. Sake can have an alcohol content of up to 20 percent. In some authentic sushi experiences, you can compliment the chef by buying a shot of sake.
- Agari: green tea. Mecha is the good thing, a bit bitter, that is used to cleanse the palate.
