Sushi Vocabulary Note: Upper-case letters represent long vowel sounds. See the pronunciation guide below for more details.

Sushi a la carte

• aji -- horse mackerel
• akagai -- ark shell
• ama-ebi -- raw shrimp
• anago -- conger eel
• aoyagi -- round clam
• awabi -- abalone
• ayu -- sweetfish
• buri -- adult yellowtail
• chUtoro -- marbled tuna belly
• ebi -- boiled shrimp
• hamachi -- young yellowtail
• hamaguri -- clam
• hamo -- pike conger; sea eel
• hatahata -- sandfish
• hikari-mono -- various kinds of "shiny" fish, such as mackerel
• himo -- "fringe" around an ark shell
• hirame -- flounder
• hokkigai -- surf clam
• hotategai -- scallop
• ika -- squid
• ikura -- salmon roe
• inada -- very young yellowtail
• kaibashira -- eye of scallop or shellfish valve muscles
• kaiware -- daikon-radish sprouts
• kajiki -- swordfish
• kani -- crab
• kanpachi -- very young yellowtail
• karei -- flatfish
• katsuo -- bonito
• kazunoko -- herring roe
• kohada -- gizzard shad
• kuruma-ebi -- prawn
• maguro -- tuna
• makajiki -- blue marlin
• masu -- trout
• meji (maguro) -- young tuna
• mekajiki -- swordfish
• mirugai -- surf clam
• negi-toro -- tuna belly and chopped green onion
• ni-ika -- squid simmered in a soy-flavored stock
• nori-tama -- sweetened egg wrapped in dried seaweed
• Otoro -- fatty portion of tuna belly
• saba -- mackerel
• sake -- salmon
• sawara -- Spanish mackerel
• sayori -- (springtime) halfbeak
• seigo -- young sea bass
• shako -- mantis shrimp
• shima-aji -- another variety of aji
• shime-saba -- mackerel (marinated)
• shiromi -- seasonal "white meat" fish
• suzuki -- sea bass
• tai -- sea bream
• tairagai -- razor-shell clam
• tako -- octopus
• tamago -- sweet egg custard wrapped in dried seaweed
• torigai -- cockle
• toro -- choice tuna belly
• tsubugai -- Japanese "tsubugai" shellfish
• uni -- sea urchin roe

Maki-zushi (sushi rolls)

• maki-mono -- vinegared rice and fish (or other ingredients) rolled in nori seaweed
• tekka-maki -- tuna-filled maki-zushi
• kappa-maki -- cucumber-filled maki-zushi
• tekkappa-maki -- selection of both tuna and cucumber rolls
• oshinko-maki -- -pickled-daikon (radish) rolls
• kaiware-maki -- daikon-sprout roll
• umejiso-maki -- Japanese ume plum and perilla-leaf roll
• negitoro-maki -- scallion-and-tuna roll
• chUtoro-maki -- marbled-tuna roll
• Otoro-maki -- fatty-tuna roll
• kanpyo-maki -- pickled-gourd rolls
• futo-maki -- a fat roll filled with rice, sweetened cooked egg, pickled gourd, and bits of vegetables
• nori-maki -- same as kanpyo-maki; in Osaka, same as futo-maki
• natto-maki -- sticky, strong-tasting fermented-soybean rolls
• ana-kyU-maki -- conger eel-and-cucumber rolls
• temaki -- hand-rolled cones made from dried seaweed
• maguro-temaki -- tuna temaki

Other sushi terms

• nigiri(-zushi) -- pieces of raw fish over vinegared rice balls
• Edomae-zushi -- same as nigiri-zushi
• chirashi(-zushi) -- assorted raw fish and vegetables over rice
• tekka-don -- pieces of raw tuna over rice
• sashimi -- raw fish (without rice)

• chakin-zushi -- vinegared rice wrapped in a thin egg crepe
• inari-zushi -- vinegared rice and vegetables wrapped in a bag of fried tofu
• oshi-zushi -- Osaka-style sushi: squares of pressed rice topped with vinegared/cooked fish
• battera(-zushi) -- oshi-zushi topped with mackerel

• -tataki -- pounded, almost raw fish
• odori-ebi -- live ("dancing") shrimp
• oshinko -- Japanese pickles
• neta -- sushi topping
• wasabi -- Japanese horseradish
• gari -- vinegared ginger
• shOyu -- soy sauce