Sushi Terminology and Pronunciation Guide
 

Aburage (ah-boo-rah-ah-geh) - Fried tofu pouches usually prepared by cooking in sweet cooking sake, shoyu, and dashi. Used in various dishes, in Miso Shiru and for Inari Sushi.

Aemono (ah-eh-moh-noh) - Vegetables (sometimes meats) mixed with a dressing or sauce.

Agari (ah-gah-ree) - A Japanese sushi-bar term for green tea.

Aji-no-moto (ah-jee-no-moh-toh) - Monosodium glutamate (MSG).
 

California Roll - A California roll is an american style maki (roll) created in California for the American palate. It usually consists of kamaboko (imitation crab meat) and avocado, sometimes including cucumber.

Daikon (Dah-ee-kohn) - giant white radish, usually served grated as garnish for sashimi.

Ebi (eh-bee) - Shrimp. Not the same as Sweet Shrimp, as Ebi is cooked, while Ami Ebi is served in raw form.

Futo-Maki (foo-toh-mah-kee) - Big, oversized rolls.

Gari (gah-ree) - Pickled ginger (the pink or off-white stuff) that comes along with Sushi.

Gohan (goh-hahn) - Plain boiled rice.

Goma (goh-mah) - Sesame seeds.

Hashi (hah-shee) - Chopsticks. Also called O-Hashi.

Hocho (hoh-choh) - General Japanese term for cooking knives. Can be classified as Traditional Japanese style (Wa-bocho) or Western style (yo-bocho)

Inari Sushi (ee-nah-ree-soo-shee) - [see an image] - Aburage stuffed with sushi rice.

Kaki (kah-kee) - Oysters.

Kamaboko (kah-mah-boh-ko) - Imitation crab meat (also called surimi) usually made from pollack. Generally used in California rolls and other maki, it's not the same thing as "soft shell crab."

Kani (kah-nee) - Crab meat. The real stuff. Always served cooked, much better if cooked fresh but usually cooked and then frozen.

Kuro goma (koo-roh-goh-mah) - Black sesame seeds.

Makisu (mah-kee-soo) - Mat made of bamboo strips to create make-zushi.

Maki Sushi (mah-kee-soo-shee) - The rice and seaweed rolls with fish and/or vegetables. Most maki places the nori on the outside, but some, like the California and rainbow rolls, place the rice on the outside.

Matoudai (mah-toh-dai) - John Dory.

Mirin (mee-rin) - Sweet rice wine for cooking.

Miso (mee-soh) - Soy bean paste.

Moyashi (moh-yah-shee) - Bean sprouts.

Nasu (nah-soo) - Eggplant. Also called Nasubi.

Neta (neh-tah) - The piece of fish that is placed on top of the sushi rice for nigiri.

Nigiri Sushi (nee-ghee-ree-soo-shee) - The little fingers of rice topped with wasabi and a filet of raw or cooked fish or shellfish. Generally the most common form of sushi you will see outside of Japan..

Nori (noh-ree) - Sheets of dried seaweed used in maki.

Ocha (oh-chah) - Tea.

Ponzu (pohn-zoo) - Sauce made with soy sauce, dashi and Japanese citron, such as Yuzu or Sudachi.

Roe - Fish eggs. Generally, flying fish, smelt, and salmon roe are available in all sushi restaurants. "Roe" is a generic name. The roes are:

Ikura (ee-koo-rah) - salmon roe. (FYI, Ikura means ‘How much?’ in Japanese) The word Ikura is shared with the Russian word “Ikra” meaning salmon roe.

Tobiko (toh-bee-koh) - flying-fish roe, red and crunchy, often served as part of maki-zushi but also as nigiri-zushi commonly with quail egg yolk (uzura no tamago) on top uncooked.

Sake (sah-keh) - Rice wine. Pronounced 'sah-keh' not “sah-key.” Served both hot and cold depending on the brand type. Some people love it, some people hate it.

Sake (sah-keh) - Salmon. To avoid confusion, some people say Sha-ke.

Sashimi (sah-shee-mee) - Raw fish fillets sans the sushi rice.

Sansho (sahn-shoh) - Japanese pepper. A must with most Unagi dishes.

Shari (shah-ree) - Sushi Meshi (sushi rice). A sushi bar term.

Shirataki (shee-rah-tah-kee) - Translucent rubbery noodles.

Shiro goma (shee-roh-goh-mah) - White sesame seeds.

Shiro maguro ('White Tuna') (shee-roh mah-goo-roh) - Sometimes called 'Bincho Maguro' or 'Bin-Naga Maguro.' This is often either Escolar or white albacore tuna. It doesn't handle as well and can change color (though doesn't change in taste or quality) so it is not as common as other tunas. It will usually not be on the menu, and if available, must be asked for (or listed as a 'special'). It is not unusual to find Escolar (oilfish) labeled as shiro maguro, however in quantity, this particular fish can have a laxative effect on some people. Recently, Black Marlin is also being served as 'white tuna.'

Shiro miso (shee-roh-mee-soh) - White soy bean paste.

Shiromi (shee-roh-mee) - This is the general term for any white fish, and if one asks for shiromi the itamae will serve whatever white fish may be in season at the time.

Shiso (shee-soh) - The leaf of the Perilla plant. Used frequently with in makizushi and with sashimi. The sushi term is actually Ooba (oh-bah).

Shitake (shee-tah-keh) - A type of Japanese mushroom, usually available dried.

Shoga (shoh-gah) - Ginger root. Usually grated.

Shoyu (shoh-yoo) - Japanese soy sauce.

Soba (soh-bah) - Buckwheat noodles.

Somen (soh-mehn) - White, threadlike wheat noodles.

Spam - yes SPAM, a sushi you can get in Hawaii (maybe Japan too), an acquired taste, perhaps.

Su (soo) - Rice vinegar.

Suimono (soo-ee-moh-noh) - Clear soup.

Surimi (soo-ree-mee) - Imitation crab meat (also called kamaboko (kah-mah-boh-koh)) usually made from pollack. Generally used in California rolls and other maki, it's not the same thing as "soft shell crab." Although “surimi” is used outside of Japan, most Japanese people use the term Kani-Kama, short for Kani-Kamaboko.

Sushi - (soo-shee) - Technically refers to the sweetened, seasoned rice. The fish is sashimi. Wrap the two together in portions and sell it as sushi, and the name still refers to the rice, not the fish. Sushi is the term for the special rice but it is modified, in Japanese, to zushi when coupled with modifiers that describe the different styles of this most popular dish. In Japan when one says “sushi” they are referring to the whole package, the sushi rice plus the neta. And this holds true for all kinds of sushi. When one wants to say “sushi rice” they say “sushi-meshi.” Also, in Japan when someone suggests going out for sushi, they are referring specifically to nigirizushi.

Tairagi (tah-ee-rah-gah-ee) - The razor shell clam.

Tako (tah-koh) - Octopus, cooked.

Tarabagani (tah-rah-bah-gah-ni) - King Crab (the real thing, as opposed to kanikama, which is the fake crab leg made from surimi).

Tamago yaki (tah-mah-goh-yah-kee) - egg omelet, sweet and, hopefully light, a good test of a new sushi restaurant, if its overcooked and chewy, go somewhere else. In Japan it is the trademark of each chef. Often potential customers in Japan will ask for a taste of the Tamago in order to judge the chef's proficiency.

Tataki (tah-tah-kee) - Tataki is a Japanese term which may mean seared on the outside only (as in Katsuo) or chopped up and served in its raw form (as in Aji).

Temaki Sushi (the-mah-kee-soo-shee) - Hand rolled cones of sushi rice, fish and vegetables wrapped in seaweed. Very similar to maki.

Tempura (tem-poo-rah) - Seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep fried.

Tofu (toh-foo) - Soybean curd.

Tori (toh-ree) - Chicken.

Udon (oo-dohn) - Wide noodles made from wheat.

Usukuchi shoyu (oo-soo-koo-chee-shoh-yoo) - Light Japanese soy sauce.

Wakame (wah-kah-meh) - Dried lobe-leaf seaweed in long, dark green strands.

Wasabi (wah-sah-bee) - Japanese 'Horseradish.' This is the small lump of green stuff that looks sort of like clay. Best done in extremely small doses. The actual rhizome is not related to American Horseradish except by name, but unfortunately, the 'wasabi' most often served is not real wasabi, but powdered and reconstituted American Horseradish with food coloring. Real wasabi is difficult to find in most restaurants, but is sometimes available upon request (and worth it, even with a surcharge, in my opinion). It is quite different in appearance (slightly more vegetal in color and obviously a ground up lump of rhizome, not powder) as well as taste. Real wasabi has a hotness that does not linger, and compliments and enhances the flavor of sushi rather well.

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