Japanese knife terms: a glossary from aogami to yanagiba

General words

To say "knife" in Japanese, use hocho for a kitchen knife. Naifu (ナイフ) is also used, usually for Western-style or pocket knives.

• Hocho (包丁): kitchen knife. Becomes -bocho in compounds, as in deba-bocho.
• Wa (和): Japanese style, as in wa handle or wa-gyuto.
• Yo (洋): Western style, as in yo handle or yo-deba.
• Honyaki (本焼): a knife forged from one piece of high-carbon steel and differentially hardened. Expensive and demanding to make.
• Kasumi (霞): "mist". A knife of hard steel laminated to soft iron, or the misty finish on that soft cladding.
• Saya (鞘): a wooden sheath that protects the blade.
• Kataba (片刃): single-bevel edge. Ryoba (両刃): double-bevel edge.

Knife shapes

These are the shape names you will see most often. Our types of Japanese knives page compares them side by side.

• Gyuto (牛刀): "cow sword". The Japanese chef knife, usually 210-240 mm. See what is a gyuto.
• Santoku (三徳): "three virtues". A shorter all-purpose knife with a flat edge. See what is a santoku used for.
• Nakiri (菜切): "vegetable cutter". Rectangular, double-bevel vegetable knife.
• Usuba (薄刃): "thin blade". Single-bevel professional vegetable knife.
• Bunka (文化): "culture". All-purpose knife with an angled, reverse tanto tip.
• Kiritsuke (切付): long knife with a flat edge and angled tip. See what is a kiritsuke.
• Petty (ペティ): from the French petit. A small utility knife, 120-150 mm.
• Sujihiki (筋引): "muscle puller". A long double-bevel slicer for roasts and fish.
• Yanagiba (柳刃): "willow blade". A long single-bevel knife for slicing raw fish.
• Deba (出刃): a thick single-bevel knife for breaking down whole fish.
• Honesuki (骨スキ): a triangular boning knife for poultry.
• Gokujo, Takobiki, Pankiri: a boning knife, an octopus-style slicer and a bread knife.

Steels

Steel names show up in almost every listing. Typical hardness ranges are in our Japanese knife steel chart and the interactive steel chart tool.

• Hagane (鋼): the hard steel that forms the cutting edge.
• Jigane (地金): the soft iron or steel cladding around the core.
• Shirogami (白紙): "white paper" steel from Hitachi (now Proterial). Simple high-carbon steel that sharpens very easily. Rusts.
• Aogami (青紙): "blue paper" steel. White steel with added chromium and tungsten for better edge retention. Rusts. See aogami vs shirogami.
• Aogami Super: blue steel with more carbon plus molybdenum and vanadium. Very hard, still rusts.
• Ginsan (銀三): "silver three". A stainless steel that sharpens much like carbon steel.
• VG-10: a common stainless core steel from Takefu. See what is VG-10 steel.
• SG2 / R2: stainless powder metallurgy steels that reach high hardness. See VG-10 vs SG2.
• HRC: Rockwell C hardness. See what HRC means.

Construction and finishes

• San mai (三枚): "three layers". A hard core sandwiched between two softer outer layers.
• Warikomi (割込): a hard core inserted into a split softer jacket. Similar result to san mai.
• Damascus / suminagashi (墨流し): patterned cladding made from layers of different steels. Mostly looks. See is Damascus steel better.
• Kurouchi (黒打): "black forged". The dark scale from forging left on the blade.
• Nashiji (梨地): "pear skin". A textured, matte finish.
• Tsuchime (槌目): hammered dimple finish that can help food release.
• Migaki (磨き): polished finish.
• Kireaji (切れ味): sharpness, or how a knife feels as it cuts.

Grind and edge terms

For angles by brand, try our sharpening angle finder. For the full method, see how to sharpen a Japanese knife on a whetstone.

• Ura (裏): the hollow back side of a single-bevel knife.
• Uraoshi (裏押し): the narrow flat rim polished on the ura during sharpening.
• Shinogi (鎬): the line where the bevel meets the flat of the blade.
• Kireha (切刃): the wide bevel on a single-bevel knife.
• Hamaguri-ba (蛤刃): "clam shell" edge. A convex edge.
• 50/50, 70/30: how the edge bevel is split between the two sides. 50/50 is symmetric.
• Kaeri (返り): the burr raised during sharpening.
• Toishi (砥石): whetstone. Arato (coarse), nakato (medium) and shiageto (finishing) stones.

Parts of the knife

Western terms often appear too: bolster (a thick collar of steel at the heel), choil (the unsharpened notch or edge just before the handle) and full tang (steel running the full length of the handle). Shopping for a first knife? Our best Japanese kitchen knives guide explains the terms that matter for each pick.

• Kissaki (切先): tip.
• Hasaki (刃先): the cutting edge.
• Mune (棟): spine.
• Hira (平): the flat face of the blade.
• Ago (アゴ): heel, the rear corner of the edge.
• Machi (区): the step where the blade meets the tang near the handle.
• Nakago (中子): tang.
• Kakumaki / Tsuka: ferrule and handle on a wa handle. See wa vs Western handles.

Browse the best Japanese kitchen knives →

Frequently asked questions

How do you say knife in Japanese? A kitchen knife is hocho (包丁). In compound names it becomes -bocho. Naifu is used for Western-style knives.

What does gyuto mean? Gyuto (牛刀) means "cow sword" or "beef knife". It is the Japanese version of the Western chef knife.

What does wa mean on a knife listing? Wa means Japanese style. A wa handle is a lightweight Japanese handle, usually octagonal or D-shaped.

What is the difference between kataba and ryoba? Kataba is single-bevel, sharpened on one side. Ryoba is double-bevel, sharpened on both sides.