Sushi Guide: Types of Sushi and the Japanese Names of Fish and Toppings

Nigiri, maki, uramaki, temaki and chirashi are different ways of putting rice and fish together, and sashimi skips the rice entirely. This guide explains the styles of sushi and translates the Japanese names of the fish, shellfish and roe you will see on the menu.

Get this chart as a poster

This chart is on its way to our print shops. Our posters are listed on Zazzle, TeePublic and Threadless (links at the top of this page); browse the kitchen and classroom charts to see the ones already available.

The styles of sushi and the Japanese names of the fish and toppings on the menu.

Styles

Style	What it is
Nigiri	A hand-pressed finger of sushi rice topped with a slice of fish or other topping
Sashimi	Sliced raw fish served on its own, without rice
Maki	Rice and fillings rolled in nori seaweed and sliced: hosomaki (thin), futomaki (thick)
Uramaki	Inside-out roll with the rice on the outside, like the California roll
Temaki	Hand roll: a cone of nori filled with rice and fillings, eaten by hand
Gunkan maki	"Battleship": a band of nori around rice, holding roe or sea urchin on top
Chirashi	"Scattered": a bowl of sushi rice topped with assorted fish
Inari	Sushi rice packed into a pouch of sweet fried tofu
Oshizushi	Pressed sushi, shaped in a wooden box; a speciality of Osaka

Fish

Japanese	English	Notes
Maguro	Tuna	Akami is the lean red meat
Chutoro / Otoro	Medium-fatty / fattiest tuna	From the belly; rich and melting
Sake (shake)	Salmon	Not to be confused with the rice wine
Hamachi	Yellowtail	A young buri; buttery and mild
Kanpachi	Greater amberjack	Firm and clean
Hirame	Flounder or fluke	Delicate white fish
Tai	Sea bream	Prized white fish
Saba	Mackerel	Usually cured with salt and vinegar
Aji	Japanese horse mackerel	Often with ginger and scallion
Katsuo	Skipjack tuna (bonito)	Often seared
Unagi / Anago	Freshwater eel / conger eel	Grilled and glazed, never raw

Shellfish, roe and more

Japanese	English	Notes
Ebi / Amaebi	Shrimp / sweet shrimp	Ebi usually boiled; amaebi served raw
Ika / Tako	Squid / octopus	Tako is boiled first
Hotate	Scallop	Sweet and tender
Hokkigai	Surf clam	Sweet and chewy
Uni	Sea urchin	Creamy, briny
Ikura / Tobiko / Masago	Salmon / flying fish / capelin roe	Large orange pearls / small crunchy / smaller
Tamago	Sweet rolled omelette	Sweet and savoury

Notes and sources

Sushi means the seasoned vinegared rice (shari), not the raw fish: sashimi is fish without rice.

On the side: wasabi (a pungent green paste), gari (pickled ginger, a palate cleanser between pieces) and shoyu (soy sauce).

Decorative reference. Raw fish carries some risk for pregnant people, young children and anyone with a weak immune system.