Japanese Knife Types: Every Shape, Explained

All-rounders — start here

These do most of the work in most kitchens. If you are buying one Japanese knife, it is one of these. They are all double-bevel, so they cut straight and work for either hand.

Knife	What it is	Length	Bevel
Gyuto 牛刀	The Japanese chef's knife — the most versatile single blade.	180–270 mm (210 typical)	Double
Santoku 三徳	The nimble home all-rounder — shorter and easy to control.	165–180 mm	Double
Bunka 文化	A santoku's cousin with an angular k-tip for detail work.	165–195 mm	Double
Kiritsuke 切付	An all-rounder with a dramatic sword-like angled tip.	210–270 mm	Double

Vegetable knives

Tall, flat blades built for straight-down chopping and good knuckle clearance. Excellent second knives; poor only knives, because they cannot carve or do tip work.

Knife	What it is	Length	Bevel
Nakiri 菜切	Tall, flat vegetable specialist for clean straight-down chopping.	165–180 mm	Double
Usuba 薄刃	The traditional single-bevel vegetable knife — the nakiri's pro cousin.	165–210 mm	Single

Small & utility

The knife you reach for when the big one is too much blade — peeling, trimming, garlic, garnish. Almost always a second knife rather than a first.

Knife	What it is	Length	Bevel
Petty ペティ	Small utility knife — the classic nimble second blade.	120–150 mm	Double

Slicers

Long, thin, straight blades that cut in one draw rather than sawing. The difference between a clean slice of fish and a torn one is almost entirely the knife.

Knife	What it is	Length	Bevel
Sujihiki 筋引	The double-bevel Western-style slicer for meat and fish.	240–300 mm (270 typical)	Double
Yanagiba 柳刃	Long single-bevel slicer for sashimi in one clean pull.	240–330 mm	Single

Fish, poultry & bread

Task-built knives. Buy one when you do that task often enough to be annoyed by doing it with an all-rounder — not before.

Knife	What it is	Length	Bevel
Deba 出刃	Thick, heavy single-bevel knife for whole fish.	150–210 mm	Single
Honesuki 骨スキ	Stiff, triangular boning knife for jointing poultry.	145–150 mm	Double
Bread knife パン切り	Serrated blade for crusty bread without crushing the crumb.	200–270 mm	Serrated

Double bevel vs single bevel

This is the division that matters most, and it is not about quality. A double-bevel knife is ground on both sides. It tracks straight through food, works the same in either hand, and sharpens the way you would expect. Every all-rounder, the nakiri, the petty, the sujihiki, the honesuki and the bread knife are double-bevel.

A single-bevel knife — yanagiba, deba, usuba — is ground on one side only, with a concave hollow (urasuki) on the back. That geometry gives a thinner, more precise edge and releases food cleanly, which is why professional Japanese kitchens use them. The costs are real: the blade steers slightly, it is made for one hand, and sharpening it well means maintaining that hollow. Full detail in single bevel vs double bevel, and left-handed Japanese knives if you cut left-handed.

What to buy, in what order

You do not need a set. A block of eight mediocre knives is worse than two good ones, and it costs more — the arithmetic is here. A sane order looks like this:

An all-rounder. A 210 mm gyuto, or a 165–180 mm santoku if your board is small. Stainless, unless you already know you enjoy carbon.
A petty. 135–150 mm. Handles everything the big knife is clumsy at.
A whetstone, before a third knife. A sharp mid-range knife beats a blunt expensive one, every time. Start with sharpening on a whetstone.
Then a specialist — a nakiri if you prep a lot of vegetables, a sujihiki if you carve, a deba if you break down whole fish.

Where the knife is made changes its character more than its shape — a rugged kurouchi Tosa blade and a polished Seki one can be the same type and feel like different objects. That comparison is on the four regions page.

Frequently asked questions

How many types of Japanese kitchen knife are there?

There are dozens of regional and specialist shapes, but around a dozen cover everything a home or professional Western kitchen needs: gyuto, santoku, bunka and kiritsuke as all-rounders; nakiri and usuba for vegetables; petty for small work; sujihiki and yanagiba for slicing; deba for fish; honesuki for poultry; and a serrated pankiri for bread.

Which Japanese knife should I buy first?

A 210 mm gyuto or a 165–180 mm santoku, in stainless steel. Both are double-bevel all-rounders that handle the large majority of cooking. Choose the gyuto for more reach and a pointed tip, the santoku if a 210 mm blade feels like a lot or your cutting board is small.

What is the difference between a Japanese knife and a Western one?

Japanese knives are typically harder (around 60–63 HRC against 54–58), thinner behind the edge, and ground to a more acute angle. That makes them noticeably sharper and better at clean cuts, but also more prone to chipping if you twist them or hit bone. Western knives are softer, heavier and more forgiving of rough use.

Do I need a single-bevel knife?

Almost certainly not, unless you are preparing Japanese food seriously. Single-bevel knives — yanagiba, deba, usuba — cut with real precision but they steer to one side, they are made for a specific hand, and sharpening them properly means maintaining the concave back. Every all-rounder on this page is double-bevel, which is what you want to start with.

What is a Japanese knife made of?

Most are a hard cutting steel joined to a softer body — a construction called san mai. The core is either carbon steel (Shirogami, Aogami) for maximum keenness, or stainless (VG10, Ginsan, SG2) for easier care. The softer outer layers absorb shock so the hard core does not crack.

Which of these is yours?

Answer four questions and we'll point you to the right shape. Our curated shelf opens soon — join the waitlist to hear first.

Which knife should I buy? →

Japanese knife types, explained

Browse and filter every type

Gyuto

Santoku

Nakiri

Usuba

Petty

Bunka

Kiritsuke

Sujihiki

Yanagiba

Deba

Honesuki

Bread knife