The Sushi Glossary
Every word on the menu and at the counter, in plain English — so you can order (and eat) like you belong there.
Agari
Agari is sushi-bar slang for green tea — the hot tea served throughout the meal and especially at the end.
江戸前Edomae
Edomae ('in front of Edo,' old Tokyo) is the original Tokyo-Bay style of sushi — built on curing, marinating and aging fish, not merely slicing it raw.
太巻き ふとまきFutomaki
Futomaki is the fat maki roll — a thick nori roll packed with several fillings, often colorful and lightly sweet, popular for celebrations and ehomaki.
ガリGari
Gari is the sweet, thin-sliced pickled ginger served beside sushi — a palate cleanser to nibble between pieces, not a topping to pile onto the fish.
軍艦巻きGunkanmaki
Gunkanmaki ('battleship roll') is the oval of rice wrapped in a tall band of nori, built to hold loose, soft toppings like uni and ikura that won't stay on plain nigiri.
細巻き ほそまきHosomaki
Hosomaki is the thin maki roll — nori on the outside, a little rice, and usually a single filling like tuna (tekka-maki) or cucumber (kappa-maki).
板前Itamae
Itamae ('in front of the board') is the sushi chef — a title earned over years of training, from rice and prep all the way to finally working the counter.
巻き まきMaki
Maki is rolled sushi — rice and fillings rolled in nori with a bamboo mat. It splits into thin hosomaki, fat futomaki, inside-out uramaki, and hand-rolled temaki.
紫Murasaki
Murasaki ('purple') is the sushi-bar word for soy sauce — and the golden rule is to dip the fish, never the rice.
握り にぎりNigiri
Nigiri is the classic hand-pressed sushi: a small oblong mound of vinegared rice with a slice of fish (or other neta) draped over the top.
煮切りNikiri
Nikiri is the brushed-on finishing soy sauce — soy simmered with dashi, mirin and sake — that chefs paint onto nigiri so you don't need to dip.
お任せ おまかせOmakase
Omakase means 'I'll leave it up to you' — a meal where you hand the chef the wheel and they serve a sequence of dishes chosen from the day's best ingredients.
刺身 さしみSashimi
Sashimi is sliced raw fish (or other seafood) served on its own — no rice. Which means, technically, sashimi isn't sushi at all.
シャリShari
Shari is the seasoned, vinegared rice of sushi — and the thing the word 'sushi' literally refers to. Get the rice wrong and nothing else matters.
手巻き てまきTemaki
Temaki is a hand roll — a cone of nori filled with rice and fillings, made to eat immediately while the seaweed is still crisp.
山葵 わさびWasabi
Wasabi is the pungent green condiment served with sushi — but most 'wasabi' (outside Japan, and at plenty of spots inside it) is dyed horseradish, not the real rhizome.
漬け づけZuke
Zuke is the edomae technique of marinating fish — classically lean tuna (akami) — in soy sauce, both to preserve it and to deepen its umami.