Nakiri

A rectangular, straight-edged vegetable knife designed for a clean push-cut straight down through vegetables, in contrast to the rocking motion used with many Western knife shapes.

Material & Construction

A thin, flat rectangular blade, double-beveled for symmetric cutting, generally lighter than a deba and suited purely to vegetables rather than meat or bone.

Traditional Uses

Slicing and chopping vegetables with a straight up-and-down cutting motion, producing very clean, flat cuts particularly suited to fine julienne and precise vegetable work.

Modern Availability / Equivalents

A Western santoku or chef's knife can approximate the function, though the nakiri's fully flat edge and rectangular profile are specifically optimized for the push-cut technique.

Care & Maintenance

Hand-wash and dry promptly; sharpen regularly to maintain the fine, straight edge the technique depends on.