Glossary

Sushi, Rolls, Hand Rolls & Sashimi

Sushi 
Sweetened, pickled rice. The fish is called " sashimi."  Wrap the two together in portions and it is "sushi."  The name sushi refers to the rice, not the fish. Sushi rice is modified in Japanese to " zushi" when coupled with modifiers that describe the different styles.

Sashimi 
Raw fish served chilled, sliced, and arranged without rice.

Nigiri sushi 
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.

Edomae sushi 
Same as nigiri sushi.

Neta 
The piece of fish that is placed on top of the sushi rice for nigiri.

Nori
Sheets of dried seaweed used in maki.

Maki sushi 
Vinegar rice with fish and/or vegetables, rolled up in Japanese seaweed. Most maki places the nori on the outside, but some, like the California roll, place the rice outside the nori.  There are also more specific terms for the rolls depending on the style:

Futomaki - thick rolls
Hosomaki - thin rolls
Uramaki - inside-out rolls (rice on the outside)

Temaki sushi 
Hand rolled cones of sushi rice and/or vegetables wrapped in seaweed.  Also called a hand roll.  Similar t maki.

Chirashi-sushi  
Translates as "scattered sushi", a bowl or box of sushi rice topped with a variety (usually nine, because nine is the Japanese lucky number) of sashimi. 

Inari
Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage (deep fried tofu) bags.

Other Japanese Foods & Words

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

Daikon  
Giant white radish, usually served grated as garnish for sashimi.

Edamame
Steamed green soybean.

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

Goma 
Sesame seeds.

Gyoza
Japanese style dumplings

Hanakatsuo 
Dried bonito fish, shaved or flaked. 

Hashi
Chopsticks.

Hikari-mono 
A comprehensive term for all the shiny fish.

Hocho
General Japanese term for knives.

Kuro goma 
Black sesame seeds.

Nasu
Eggplant.

Negi 
Onion.

Okonomiyaki
A mixture between a pancake and pizza.  "Okonomi" means "as you like."
This refers to the ingredients which are usually made from flour, water, eggs,
and cabbage.  Common things to add are pork, beef, onions, octopus, squid
or mushrooms.  Like pizza, usually one or two things are added.

Oshibori
The wet towel one cleans one's hands with before the meal.

Ponzu 
Sauce made with Japanese citron.

Sake
Rice wine. Served both hot and cold depending on the quality.

Sansho
Japanese pepper.

Shiro goma 
White sesame seeds.

Shiso  
The leaf of the Perilla plant. Used frequently with in makisushi and with sashimi.

Shitake
A type of Japanese mushroom.

Shoyu 
Japanese soy sauce.

Soba 
Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour (soba-ko) and wheat flour (komugi-ko). They are roughly as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot and cold dishes.

Sudare
Mat made of bamboo strips to create makisushi.

Sunomono
Cucumber, seaweed, sesame seeds and crab, octopus or shrimp in sweet rice vinegar.

Tekka Donburi
Sliced raw tuna on sushi rice.

Usukuchi shoyu 
Light Japanese soy sauce.  

Wasabi 
Japanese horseradish.

Yasai
Vegetable.

Sushi Fish

Useful Japanese Phrases

Konichiwa (koh NEECH ee wah) 
A greeting, roughly "how are you" or "how do you do?"

Konbanwa 
Good evening

Dozo (DOH zoh) 
Please

Arigato (ah ri GAH toh) 
Thank you

Domo (DOH moh)
Thank you, not as polite as arigato. Domo and arigato can be combined ("domo arigato") and then become a more polite form of thank you

Domo arigato gozaimasu 
A very polite form of thank you, said while engaged in an activity. One can also say "domo sumimasen"

Hai (high) 
Yes. Spoken abruptly with a glottal stop at the end, almost swallowing the last vowel

Kampai (Kom PIE)
 A toast to your health

Oishii 
"Yummy" or "Delicious"

Ama Ebi o kudasai 
Please give me sweet shrimp

Anago o kudasai 
Please give me salt water eel

Itamae-san 
The sushi (or other Japanese) chef

Omakase (oh-ma-ka-se)
asking the sushi chef to choose what you'll have next

Arigato gozaimashita  
Thank you very much (at the end of the evening)

Domo arigato gozaimasta 
Another very polite form of thank you, said after the meal or activity has concluded

Gochisou-sama deshita 
"It was a feast!" (Traditionally said at the end of a meal)

Okanjo - (oh-a-ee-so) 
The bill/check