01包丁
Topic · hocho
Shapes and how to use them
Start with a gyuto or a santoku. A gyuto is the Japanese chef's knife, usually 210 to 240 mm; a santoku is shorter and flatter, usually 165 to 180 mm. Add a petty for small work and a nakiri if you cut a lot of vegetables.
- First knife for most cooks
- Gyuto 210 mm or santoku 165 to 180 mm
- Second knife
- Petty 120 to 150 mm
A gyuto has a pointed tip and a gently curved belly, so it handles rocking cuts, push cuts and slicing. 210 mm suits most home boards; 240 mm is faster on big piles of vegetables but wants a board at least 16 inches wide. A santoku has a flatter edge and a dropped tip, which favors straight up and down chopping and suits a small kitchen.
A nakiri is a rectangular vegetable knife with a nearly flat edge, so every chop meets the board along its full length. A bunka is close to a santoku with an angled, reverse tanto tip that is handy for fine work. A sujihiki is a long, narrow slicer for roasts and fish, and a petty is the small utility knife for fruit, shallots and trimming.
Almost all of these are sold with a double bevel that works for right and left handers. Traditional single bevel knives such as the yanagiba and deba are made for one hand, so check the listing before you buy one.
- Tip
- The point, for fine work
- Belly
- The curve of the edge, for rocking cuts
- Flat
- The straight part of the edge near the heel
- Heel
- The rear corner of the edge
- Choil
- Where the edge ends at the handle
- Spine
- The thick back of the blade
- Ferrule
- The collar of a wa handle; a Western knife has a bolster
- Tang
- The steel inside the handle
- HRC
- Hardness of the steel, here 60-61
牛刀Gyuto
180 to 270 mm
三徳Santoku
165 to 180 mm
菜切Nakiri
160 to 180 mm
文化Bunka
165 to 180 mm
切付Kiritsuke
210 to 270 mm
筋引Sujihiki
240 to 300 mm
ペティPetty
120 to 150 mm
Common mistakes
- Buying a 270 mm gyuto for a small cutting board.
- Using a thin gyuto or santoku on bones, frozen food or squash skin, which chips the edge.
- Ordering a single bevel knife for the wrong hand.
Pages on this topic
- What size chef knife do I need: 180, 210, 240 or 270 mmPick the right chef knife or gyuto length with a size table in mm and inches, matched to your cutting board, hand size and what you cook most often.
- What is a santoku knife used forWhat a santoku knife is used for, what the name means, why it has a flat edge and dimples, and how to cut with it at home. Plain answers for home cooks.
- What is a petty knife used forA petty knife is a small Japanese utility knife between a paring knife and a chef knife. Learn what it is used for, the best lengths and how to pair it.
- What is a nakiri knife used forA nakiri is a Japanese vegetable knife with a flat edge for push cutting. Learn what it does well, how to use it, its limits and how to care for it.
- What is a kiritsuke knifeWhat a kiritsuke knife is, how the traditional single-bevel version differs from the double-bevel kiritsuke home cooks buy, and what each one is used for.
- What is a gyuto knife used forA gyuto is the Japanese chef knife: an all-purpose blade for slicing, dicing, mincing and carving boneless meat. Here is how it differs from a German chef knife.
- What is a bunka knife and what is it forA bunka is a compact Japanese all-purpose knife with a flat edge and an angled reverse tanto tip. Learn its uses, history and how it compares with a santoku.
- Types of Japanese knives and what each one doesGyuto, santoku, nakiri, bunka, sujihiki, petty, deba and yanagiba explained: what each Japanese knife type does, typical lengths and who needs it.
- Santoku vs chef knife: which shape to buy firstSantoku vs chef knife: blade shape, length, rocking vs push cutting and tip work, with matched Shun and Wusthof pairs to help you pick your first knife.
- Nakiri vs usuba: double vs single bevel vegetable knivesNakiri vs usuba: both are flat rectangular vegetable knives, but the usuba is single bevel and built for pro techniques. See which one a home cook should buy.
- Nakiri vs santoku for vegetable prepNakiri vs santoku: flat edge vs slight belly, squared tip vs rounded point, and when a dedicated vegetable knife earns a place next to your all-rounder.
- Nakiri vs Chinese cleaver for chopping vegetablesNakiri vs Chinese cleaver: blade height, weight, scooping and versatility compared, and which suits Japanese, Chinese and everyday home cooking.
- Left-handed Japanese knives: what to check before buyingWhich Japanese knives work for left-handed cooks: single vs double bevel, asymmetric grinds, D-shaped handles, and how to pick a truly ambidextrous knife.
- Japanese knife terms: a glossary from aogami to yanagibaA plain-English glossary of Japanese knife terms: shapes, steels, grinds and parts, with the Japanese word, kanji where common, and what it means for you.
- Japanese knife handles: wa vs Western (yo) handlesWa handles are light and octagonal, oval or D-shaped; Western yo handles are riveted and heavier. Compare balance, grip and which hand suits each handle type.
- How to hold a chef knife properlyLearn to hold a chef knife with the pinch grip and protect your fingers with the claw, step by step, plus tips for thin, light Japanese blades.
- How to cut with a chef knife: push, pull and rockLearn the push cut, pull cut and rock chop with a chef knife or gyuto, which motion fits which blade profile, and how to avoid chipping a hard Japanese edge.
- Gyuto vs santoku: length, tip and cutting styleGyuto vs santoku: a longer pointed chef's knife against a shorter flat all-rounder. Compare length, tip, profile, board size and which one suits your cutting.
- Gyuto vs kiritsuke: does the angled tip matterGyuto vs kiritsuke compared: curved belly and pointed tip against a flat edge and angled k-tip. See which suits push cutting, rocking and home kitchens.
- Gyuto vs bunka: two Japanese all-roundersGyuto vs bunka compared: length, blade height, edge curve and the reverse tanto tip, plus where the santoku fits and which shape suits your cooking.
Gear for this topic
- Best sujihiki and slicing knives for roasts and fishEight sujihiki and long slicing knives from Masamoto, Misono, Shun, Miyabi and Yoshihiro compared by steel, HRC, length, edge angle and handle.
- Best santoku knives from Japan and GermanyWe compare 8 premium santoku knives from Shun, Miyabi, Wusthof, Misono and Global by steel, hardness, blade length, edge angle and handle.
- Best nakiri knives for vegetablesNakiri vegetable knives from Miyabi, Shun and Yoshihiro compared by core steel, hardness, blade length, edge angle and handle, using listing facts only.
- Best kiritsuke knives for home kitchensDouble-bevel kiritsuke knives from Shun, Miyabi, Enso and Yoshihiro compared by steel, hardness, blade length, edge angle and handle, from listing facts.
- Best Japanese petty and utility knivesSeven premium Japanese petty and utility knives compared by steel, hardness, blade length, edge angle and handle, using only listing specs.
- Best Japanese knives for beginners: forgiving first picksSeven forgiving first Japanese knives from Masamoto, Shun, Miyabi, Global and Misono compared by stainless steel, HRC, length, edge angle and handle.
- Best Japanese kitchen knives for home cooks: one pick per jobJapanese gyuto, santoku and nakiri knives from Shun, Miyabi, MAC, Masamoto, Global and Misono compared by steel, hardness, length, edge angle and handle.
- Best gyuto knives: Japanese chef knives in 210 and 240 mmEight gyuto knives from Misono, Masamoto, Shun, Miyabi, Yoshihiro and Sakai Takayuki compared by steel, HRC, blade length, edge angle and handle.