What is a petty?
Petty comes from the French petit — it's the Japanese take on a small Western utility knife. Sitting between a paring knife and a chef's knife at roughly 120–150 mm, it has a pointed tip, a thin, nimble blade and enough length to work comfortably on a cutting board as well as in your hand.
Like the gyuto and santoku, it's a double-bevel knife, so it cuts and sharpens with no special technique. Think of it as a small, agile chef's knife for the jobs where a big blade feels like overkill.
What it's for
The petty shines wherever precision beats power: peeling and trimming, slicing garlic and shallots, prepping small fruit and vegetables, hulling strawberries, segmenting citrus, deveining, and any fiddly task that wants a pointed tip and close control. On a board it slices smaller produce cleanly; in the hand it does the delicate work your gyuto is simply too big for.
Petty vs paring knife
People often ask whether a petty is just a paring knife. Not quite — a paring knife is shorter (about 75–100 mm) and used mostly in the hand; a petty is longer, so it does everything a paring knife does and works on a board like a small chef's knife. If you're choosing one small knife, the petty is the more versatile pick.
| Petty | Paring | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 120–150 mm | 75–100 mm |
| Used | In hand and on a board | Mostly in the hand |
| Best at | Small produce, trimming, light board work | Peeling, coring, tiny tasks |
| Doubles as a mini chef? | Yes | No |
| Tip | Pointed | Pointed |
| Bevel | Double | Double |
The classic second knife
A petty comes into its own alongside a main knife. Your gyuto or santoku powers through the big work; the petty handles everything small and precise. That one-big-one-small pairing covers the vast majority of home cooking, which is exactly why the petty is the most common next buy after a chef's knife — and often a better choice than a third large knife. If you cook a lot of vegetables, a nakiri makes a great third.
What size to buy
Go 120 mm if you want a nimble, in-hand knife for peeling and detail; go 150 mm if you want it to double as a compact all-rounder for board work on smaller produce. Either way, the same steel rules apply — stainless for low care, carbon for a keener edge — and you sharpen it on a whetstone just like any double-bevel knife.
The bottom line
One big knife, one small knife. A gyuto or santoku for the heavy lifting and a petty for everything precise — that pairing will out-cook a whole block of knives.
The petty isn't glamorous, but it's the knife you'll reach for a dozen times a day. Add one to a good chef's knife and your kitchen suddenly feels complete.
Frequently asked questions
What is a petty knife used for?
A petty is a small utility knife — think of it as a large paring knife or a mini chef's knife. It handles the jobs a big knife is too clumsy for: peeling and trimming, slicing garlic and shallots, prepping small fruit and vegetables, deveining, segmenting citrus, and any fiddly detail work that needs a pointed tip. It works both in your hand and on a board.
Petty vs paring knife — what's the difference?
A paring knife is short (about 75–100 mm) and used mostly in the hand for tiny tasks. A petty is longer (120–150 mm), so it does everything a paring knife does but also works comfortably on a cutting board like a small chef's knife. If you want one small knife that's more versatile than a paring knife, the petty is it.
What size petty should I get?
120 mm is the nimble, in-hand favourite for peeling and detail work; 150 mm is more versatile and doubles as a small chef's knife for board work on smaller produce. If you want it mainly for delicate tasks, go 120 mm; if you want it to pull double duty as a compact all-rounder, go 150 mm.
Is a petty a good second knife?
It's the classic second knife. A gyuto or santoku handles the big jobs; a petty covers everything small and precise that a large blade does clumsily. That two-knife pairing — one big, one small — covers the vast majority of home cooking, which is why so many cooks reach for a petty as their next purchase after a chef's knife.
Can a petty be my only knife?
It can if you cook mostly small tasks or have a tiny kitchen, but it's limited: a petty struggles with large vegetables like squash and cabbage, and with anything that needs a long blade. For one do-everything knife, a gyuto or santoku is a better main; keep the petty as the nimble specialist alongside it.
Is a petty single or double bevel?
Double bevel, like a Western knife — sharpened on both sides, easy to use in either hand and easy to sharpen. That makes it an approachable, low-fuss knife to add to your kit.
Rounding out your knife kit?
Browse our curated range of Japanese knives — gyuto, santoku, nakiri, petty and more, shipped worldwide with duties included.
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