Wish to learn how to cut vegetables like a pro? This tutorial (with video) will show you the unique style of Japanese Cutting Techniques for vegetables. The tips will help you improve the flavor, texture, and presentation of your food.
Since I started sharing recipe tutorials on my YouTube channel, I’ve received a lot of feedback from my viewers and readers about the way I cut vegetables. Many of you told me you learned a lot about different Japanese cutting techniques from watching my videos.
So Mr. JOC and I made a tutorial video compiling basic cutting techniques that the Japanese use in our daily cooking. This tutorial does not include every single Japanese cutting technique, especially if it is only used for specific dishes such as holiday recipes. However, we thought it’s fun to put together and share.
Table of Contents
Video Tutorial: Japanese Cutting Techniques
The Japanese have specific names for Japanese Cutting Techniques. Cutting the vegetables a certain way accentuates their look, flavor, and texture.
What’s So Unique About Japanese Cutting Techniques
Most likely, you and I cut the tomatoes and slice cucumbers the same way. So what’s so unique about Japanese cutting techniques?
There are some cutting techniques that are very specific to Japanese cooking, and certain dishes taste and look better when the ingredients are cut a certain way. However, you’ll notice for the most part that it’s the same way you cut.
But what I realized is that we have a name for each cutting technique in Japanese cooking. It’s not descriptive words, such as “slice into 2 inches,” “cut into small chunks roughly,” or “slice diagonally and thinly”. Each name for Japanese cutting techniques describes the cutting styles precisely.
Basic Japanese Cutting Techniques
Usugiri (薄切り) – “Thin” Cut
- Cucumber, ginger, onion, eggplant, garlic, negi (green onion)
- Crisp texture
- Good for stir fry, simmered dishes, salad, and pickled dishes.
Nanamegiri (斜め切り) – “Diagonal” Cut (Read more)
- negi
- Cut against grain/fiber diagonally
Naname Usugiri (斜め薄切り) – “Thin Diagonal” Cut
- negi, celery
- Good for salad
Wagiri (輪切り) – “Round” Cut (Read more)
- cucumber, daikon, tomato, eggplant, carrot, lotus root
- Thickness varies depending on recipes
- Good for simmered dishes
Rangiri (乱切り) – “Random Shape” Cut (Read more)
- carrot, cucumber, daikon, eggplant, lotus root
- Cut into random shapes, but the same size
- Create more surface so it will cook faster
Koguchigiri (小口切り) – “Small Round” Cut (Read more)
- negi, green onion, cucumber
- Thickness varies depending on recipes but roughly 2-3 mm
Kushigatagiri (くし形切り) – “Comb Shape” Cut (Read more)
- cabbage, onion, tomato, lemon
- Cut into wedges
Mijingiri (みじん切り) – “Minced” Cut (Read more)
- onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, negi
- Cut into small pieces from Sengiri
Hangetsugiri (半月切り) – “Half Moon” Cut (Read more)
- cucumber, daikon, tomato, eggplant, carrot, lotus root
- Good for soups and simmered dishes
Ichogiri (いちょう切り) – “Gingko Leaf ” Cut (Read more)
- daikon, carrot
- Good for soups and simmered dishes
Hyoshigiri (拍子 木切り) – “Long Stick” Cut (Read more)
- daikon, carrot
- Good for stir fry and simmered dishes
- Cut into 5 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm cubes
Sainomegiri (さいの目切り) – “Diced” Cut (Read more)
- daikon, carrot, cucumber
- Cut into 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm
- Good for soup and salad
Hosoghiri (細切り) – “Slender” Cut (Read more)
- cucumber, gobo, potato, daikon, carrot, negi, bell pepper
- Generally 4-5 cm x 3 mm
Sengiri (千切り) – “Thousand” Cut (Read more)
- cabbage, ginger, daikon, carrot
- Generally 6-7 cm x 1-2 mm
Zakugiri (ザク切り) – “Rough Chop” Cut
- cabbage, green vegetables, tomato, chives
- Generally 3-4 cm width
- Roughly chop, not in a uniform way
- Good for stir fry and hot pot
Butsugiri (ぶつ切り) – “Chop” Cut
- negi, celery
- Chop into a convenient size, usually 3 cm pieces
- Good for hot pot and simmered dishes
Tanzakugiri (短冊切り) – “Strip of Paper” Cut (Read more)
- daikon, carrot
- Good for salad and soup
Sasagaki (ささがき) – “Bamboo Leaf” Cut (Read more)
- gobo, carrot
- “Shave” as if you’re sharpening a pencil with a knife
Sogigiri (そぎ切り) – “Angle Slicing” Cut (Read more)
- mushrooms, napa cabbage
- Works best for thick (part of) ingredients and helps to cook faster and evenly
- Slice at a 45-degree angle
Hana Renkon (花レンコン) – Flower Lotus Root (Read more)
- Lotus root
- Cut the lotus root into a flower shape
Kazarikiri (飾り切り) – “Decorative” Cut (Carrot, Shiitake Mushroom)
- shiitake mushroom, carrot, lotus root,
- Flower shape on vegetables
- Used as an accent and decoration
Cutting Against or Along with Grain for Vegetables?
The texture of the vegetables will be different based on the direction you cut. If you want to leave a nice crisp texture, cut the vegetables in the same direction as the grain. If you want to make the vegetable tender, then cut across the fibers.
If you cut parallel to the fibers/grain, the vegetable will be less wilted when being cooked.
Does your cuisine have a name for all the cutting techniques? If it does, please share in the comment!
More on Cutting Techniques
- How to Cut Tofu
- How to Cut an Avocado
- How to Butterfly Meat like Chicken Breasts or Fish Fillet)
- How to Slice Meat Thinly
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What is the name for cutting evenly spaced not too deep (eg 2 inches) lines into a vegetable or meat, usually for flavor or texture or show? Scoring.
Hi David! Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post.
The technique you mention is known as “Kakushi Bocho” 隠し包丁. Nami used it to create these recipes.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/eggplant-agebitashi/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/oden/
We hope this helps!
[…] Cut the stem of shiitake mushrooms. If you like, you can do a decorative cutting. See Cutting Technique. […]
Wow…thanks Nami !
That was like an art as well as a culinary lesson!
Regards,
Edgar A
Hi Edgar! Thank you for your kind words. It’s a movie magic. Mr. JOC and I were talking about how we shoot this and that, but with the music, all nice and calm…. 😉