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Love sushi?
If you've landed on this site, it’s a pretty safe bet that the answer’s yes!
Wanna learn how to order your favourite sushi in Japanese?
Check out this awesome infographic showing some of the most popular sushi names in Japanese:
Embedded from Wafu Blog
Thanks to Wafu for the cute visual guide 🙂
We’ve also listed the above ingredients, plus several other essential sushi words, in text format below.
Use it as a quick reference in the sushi bar, or copy and paste the vocab into your flashcard app.
First of all, the fish:
Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
あじ | aji | horse mackerel |
えび | ebi | shrimp |
はまち | hamachi | young yellowtail |
ほたて | hotate | scallop |
いか | ika | squid |
いくら | ikura | salmon roe |
いわし | iwashi | sardine |
かにかま | kanikama | crab stick |
まぐろ | maguro | tuna |
たこ | tako | octopus |
さば | saba | mackerel (generic term) |
さけ | sake | salmon |
たい | tai | sea bream |
うなぎ | unagi | eel (freshwater) |
Secondly, here are some non-fish sushi fillings and toppings that you might come across:
Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
アスパラガス | asuparagasu | asparagus |
アヴォカド | abokado | avocado |
きゅうり | kyuri | cucumber |
なっと | natto | fermented soybean curd |
せんぎりにんじん | sengiri ninjin | carrot julienne |
しそ | shiso | Japanese basil |
いわし | shiitake | shiitake mushroom |
たまごやき | tamagoyaki | Japanese omelette |
てんぷら | tempura | tempura |
うずら の たまご | uzura no tamago | quail egg |
And don’t forget these things to garnish your sushi!
Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
がり | gari | pickled ginger |
しょうゆ | shouyu | soy sauce |
わさび | wasabi | wasabi paste |
Finally, something to wash it all down with...
Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
あがり | agari | green tea (sushi bar kind) |
ビール | biiru | beer |
にほんしゅ | nihonshu | Japanese rice wine (sake) |
Ready to hit an authentic Japanese sushi restaurant? Here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect!
See if you can recognise any of the fish names (or other words you’ve learned) in this clip:
There you go! Ready to get your sushi fix.
If you want to learn more about how to order in restaurants in Japan, check out our recommended Japanese course.
Mata ne!