The 8 Styles of Japanese Knives Every Cook Should Know

The mythic and weirdly specific world of Japanese kitchen knives, explained.

Published August 25, 2024

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Japan’s long-standing tradition of crafting high quality blades extends beyond katanas. The country produces some of the world’s best kitchen knives.

Professional chefs and home cooks alike tend to lean either German or Japanese when it comes to their blades, with Japanese knifemakers leaning more on specialization and task-specific designs.

From the gyuto to the yanagi, these are the eight most important Japanese kitchen knife styles to know.

1. Deba

Deba knives are sturdy, somewhat petite blades used primarily for working with fish. Fishermen and fish mongers use deba knives to scale, behead and filet fish without damaging the flesh, and the blade is strong enough to cut through thin or weak bones.

Don’t try to chop through thicker bones, however, or you’ll risk damaging the knife. Instead, opt for the yo-deba knife, which is more adept for cutting through bones and shellfish.

2. Gyuto

Gyuto knives have impressively sharp tips for precision cutting, versus softer-tipped santoku knives.

The original purpose of the gyuto knife was to cut and break down beef (gyuto translates to “cow sword”) but they’re good for chopping, slicing and mincing basically anything.

3. Nakiri

With its rectangular blade, nakiri knives resemble western-style cleavers. Unlike cleavers, nakiri knives are too thin to cut through animal bone and are typically used for chopping vegetables.

The nakiri knife can produce ultra-fine cuts through a guillotine cutting motion (sometimes called the “push-pull” cut) rather than a rocking action.

4. Petty

The Japanese petty knife is essentially a smaller version of the Japanese gyuto knife, perfect for small tasks like peeling produce, creating decorative cuts and completing other delicate tasks. It’s basically a Japanese paring knife, but a little bigger.

5. Santoku

Santoku knives may be the most common style of Japanese knife to make headway in western kitchens. This style of knife is as versatile as the gyuto knife and chef’s knife, but typically shorter in length and feature a straighter edge and less sharp tip.

The term santoku translates to “three virtues,” which either represents meat, fish and vegetables or chopping, slicing and dicing.

6. Sujihiki

Sujihiki knives are comparable to the common carving knife and can be used for the same tasks. The long thin blade glides through protein without having to saw back and forth.

The sujihiki knife is also a more approachable version of the yanagi knife (more on that later), which is used for slicing sashimi.

7. Usuba

Usuba knives may look like the nakiri knife, but are recommended for expert knife users. The usuba knife is a single-bevel knife, which means only one side of the knife is sharp.

Because it has a single bevel, usuba knives come in either left-handed or right-handed options. These knives require more precision than cutting with a nakiri knife, and inexperienced knife users are more likely to injure themselves without proper training.

8. Yanagi

Unless you’re a sushi chef, you probably don’t need a yanagi knife, but they’re cool enough to want anyway. Used for slicing sashimi, the yanagi knife is a single-beveled knife that makes delicate and precise cuts.

The knife’s fine edge is dangerously sharp so it should be reserved for those who have spent years learning how to use it.