Knife Types
Multi-purpose / Double Bevel
両刃包丁
Gyuto - Chef's Knife
牛刀
Designed to resemble the shape of a Western chef's knife, though typically thinner, lighter, and less curved. Best used for cutting meats and larger foods.
Santoku - All-Purpose
三徳
All-purpose knives with a flat edge and a sheepsfoot blade. Designed to cut in a push-cut chopping motion, rather than the Western rocking motion.
Nakiri - Vegetable
菜切
Square-tipped knives made for chopping vegetables with a push-cut chopping motion. The blade is both thin and deep, allowing the user to easily cut through vegetables.
Bunka - All-Purpose
文化
Knives that share the same blade profile as santoku - a flat edge and sheepsfoot blade - though with the tip cut off to a sharp point for small detail work.
Petty-Utility
ペティー
Extremely versatile smaller knives used for pairing or cutting small produce. The general blade shape is based on that of a gyuto knife.
Sujihiki - slicer
筋引き
Long knives meant to cut large, clean slices of boneless meat. The narrowness and length of the blade allow smooth cuts made in one stroke.
Pairing / Peeling
ペティー
Very small knives designed for performing detail work and peeling.
Single Bevel
片刃包丁
Yanagiba - Sushi Slicer
柳刃
Long single-bevel knives used to slice raw fish, usually for sashimi and sushi.
Usuba - Vegetable
薄刃
Thin profiled vegetable knives for push-cut chopping and rotary cutting thin sheets.
Deba - Fish Butchery
出刃
Thick-spined knives designed to butcher fish, including filleting and cutting through fish bones.
Left-Handed Knives
左利き
Single-sided knives with the bevel on the left side of the blade, rather than the right.
Others
その他
Honesuki - Boning
骨すき
Used to take apart full chickens, especially by yakitori chefs in Japan.
Bread Knives
ギザギザ
Serrations in the edge of the blade allow the user to saw through tough, thick crusted bread.
Cleavers & Specialty Knives
肉切
Various styles of knives designed for specialized uses.
Knife Sets
ナイフセット
Sets of knives from select brands.
