Japanese cutting techniques

Butsugiri ぶつ切り

Used for: Deep-frying, pan-frying, hot pot
Ingredients: Spring onion, celery, leek
Description: Butsugiri is one of the foundational and simpler cutting techniques, where ingredients are cut into chunks about 3–4 centimeters in size. It is often used for long, cylindrical ingredients like leek and spring onion.

Hangetsugiri 半月切り 

Used for: Wok, salads, pickled vegetables, stews, braised dishes... 
Ingredients: Cucumber, daikon radish, tomato, eggplant, lotus root, carrot, parsley root, parsnip, orange
Description: Hangetsugiri is a technique where vegetables are cut into a semi-circular shape. Cylindrical vegetables are cut in half lengthwise and then sliced crosswise so the finished pieces take the shape of a half-circle. Also known as the half-moon cut, this style is often used for round ingredients like carrots, parsley root, parsnips, and oranges.

fr. paysanne

Hosogiri 細切り 

Used for: Salads, wok, soups
Ingredients: Cucumber, potato, daikon radish, carrot, spring onion (negi), bell pepper
Specifics: Pieces sized 4–5 cm x 3 mm
Description: This technique is widely known as julienne; ingredients are cut into thin strips. If the vegetable is round, like a potato or carrot, it is first cut in half and placed flat-side down on the cutting board.

Hyoshigigiri 拍子木切り 

Used for: Pickling, soups, deep-frying...
Ingredients: Daikon radish, carrot, potatoes
Description: Cutting vegetables into strips measuring 5 x 1 x 1 cm. The hyoshigigiri style is used for various ingredients like potatoes and daikon, where the slices look like wooden sticks. Named after a Japanese instrument, this technique is also known as the wooden clapper cut.

fr. baton

Ichogiri いちょう切り

Used for: Wok, salads, pickling, stews, soups…
Ingredients: Daikon radish, carrot
Specifics: Icho means ginkgo leaf.
Description: This technique is also known as the ginkgo leaf cut. Cylindrical vegetables are cut lengthwise into quarters and then sliced crosswise.

Sainomegiri / Kakugiri

Used for: Soups, sauces, stews, salads
Ingredients: Daikon radish, carrot, cucumber
Description: Sainomegiri or Kakugiri is one of the most common techniques. The chosen ingredient is cut into 1 x 1 cm cubes (or slightly larger). Dicing is performed after making the hyoshigigiri cut.

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Katsuramuki 桂剥き

Used for: Salads, garnishes, sashimi
Ingredients: Cylindrical root vegetables, most commonly used for daikon radish
Description: Katsuramuki is the Japanese term for the rotary peeling technique of cylindrical vegetables, forming long, continuous, paper-thin sheets. Mastering this technique is one of the silent signs of an experienced chef! We highly recommend using an usuba for this technique.

Koguchigiri 小口切り

Used for: Salads, wok, garnishes
Ingredients: Spring onion (negi), cucumber
Description: With the koguchigiri technique, vegetables are cut into thin rounds. It is primarily used for the green part of spring onions and chives. This cutting method is often necessary when you want to use the ingredient as a garnish, topping, or side dish. The thickness of the cut depends on the recipe, but is generally around 2–3 mm.

Kushigatagiri くし形切り

Used for: Fruit, roasted vegetables
Ingredients: Cabbage, onion, tomato, lemon
Description: The kushigatagiri technique is suitable for round ingredients that are cut into wedges. Because of this, it is also known as the wedge cut. The vegetable is cut lengthwise into sixths or eighths. This technique is used for cutting tomatoes, oranges, lemons, and other round foods.

Mijingiri みじん切り

Used for: Sauces, soups, stews
Ingredients: Onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, spring onion (negi)
Specifics: Fine mincing that follows the sengiri technique
Description: Mijingiri is a technique for finely chopping ingredients into tiny pieces.

fr. emincé

Nanamegiri 斜め切り

Used for: Salads, wok, garnishes
Ingredients: Spring onion (negi)
Description: Nanamegiri is a technique where vegetables are cut diagonally into oval slices. It is one of the most popular cutting techniques. The knife is simply tilted at an angle of about 45 degrees, turning the ingredients into oval slices.

Rangiri 乱切り

Used for: Wok, soups, sauces, stews
Ingredients: Carrot, cucumber, daikon radish, eggplant, lotus root
Specifics: This cut creates a larger surface area to speed up the thermal cooking process.
Description: Rangiri is a Japanese technique for cutting vegetables into random shapes but of equal size. The purpose of this cut is to achieve attractive shapes suitable for stews and braised dishes, maximizing the surface area so they absorb flavor faster.

Sasagaki ささがき

Used for: Vegetables for wok, stir-fry
Ingredients: Carrot, burdock root (gobo)
Description:  Sasagaki is a "root sharpening" technique—similar to sharpening a pencil with a knife. The sasagaki technique is otherwise known as cutting bamboo leaves, as certain ingredients are cut into thin shavings (sharpening). Ingredients like burdock root (gobo) look like bamboo leaves when cut using this technique.

Sengiri 千切り

Used for: Salads, side dishes, seasonings
Ingredients: Cabbage, ginger, daikon radish, carrot
Description: Sengiri means cutting vegetables into long julienne strips. It is a more refined version of hosogiri, where you simply ensure the slices are even thinner. This cutting method is often used for shredding cabbage or kale for salads, herbs for garnishes, and the like. Usually, the pieces are 6–7 x 1–2 mm.

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Shiraga Negi 白髪ねぎ

Used for: Garnish for deep-fried dishes, side dishes, decoration…
Ingredients: Leek, spring onion
Specifics: The white part of the Japanese long green onion (negi), cut into julienne strips, is called Shiraga (white hair) Negi (long green onion) due to its resemblance to white hair.
Description: The Shiraga Negi cutting technique is used for cutting leeks and spring onions, especially the white part, to garnish dishes. It is mostly used for slicing thin strips of long green onion to garnish fatty dishes like ramen and chashu (braised pork belly), adding a refreshing flavor and visual appeal.

Sogigiri そぎ切り

Used for: Roasted vegetables, side dishes, garnishes...
Ingredients: Mushrooms, cabbage
Specifics: In this technique, a thick ingredient is cut at a 45-degree angle parallel to the cutting board, increasing the width and angle after each cut
Description: Sogigiri is a technique where vegetables or meat are cut into slanted pieces to achieve evenly sliced pieces of the same thickness. Cutting at an angle also yields a larger surface area for quick cooking and better flavor absorption. It works best with thick ingredients and helps with faster and more even cooking.

Tanzakugiri 短冊切り

Used for: Wok, salads, soups...
Ingredients: Daikon radish, carrot
Description: The tanzakugiri technique is cutting into rectangles. It is one of the easiest cutting methods, as ingredients are simply cut into thin rectangular slices/strips.

Wagiri 輪切り

Used for: Wok, roasted vegetables, salads, braised dishes…
Ingredients: Cucumber, daikon radish, tomato, eggplant, carrot, lotus root
Description: Cutting vegetables into rounds; the thickness of the cut depends on the recipe.

fr. emincé en sifflet

Usugiri 薄切り

Used for: Wok, salads, garnishes, pickled vegetables
Ingredients: Cucumber, ginger, onion, garlic, eggplant, spring onion (negi), zucchini
Specifics: Retains a crunchy texture
Description: Cutting an ingredient into thin slices is called usugiri. This cutting technique can be used for any ingredient but is often used for onions, cucumbers, and zucchini.

Zakugiri ザク切り 

Used for: Braised leafy greens, Swiss chard, cabbage, kale, potatoes, hot pot...
Ingredients: Cabbage, green vegetables, tomato, chives
Description: The zakugiri technique is one of the easiest, as ingredients are simply cut into wide slices, 3–4 cm in size, resulting in roughly, unevenly chopped chunks.