Updated date:

Mar 11, 2020

The Different Kinds of Sushi: Types, Names, and Photos

Author:

Brittany Kennedy has lived on the Big Island of Hawaii for most of her life, which means she's spent most of her life eating sushi!

If you didn't grow up eating sushi, you may be confused when looking at a sushi roll menu if the restaurant chooses to leave out the descriptions. This guide will break down some common sushi terms and recipes so you can know what to order when visiting a sushi bar or restaurant.

Did You Know?

Feel free to eat your sushi rolls or nigiri with your hands! This is, in fact, how many in Japan eat their sushi. When eating nigiri, it's also recommended to turn the roll upside-down to dip in soy sauce to avoid absorbing too much into the rice.

Different types of sushi: maki, temaki, uramaki, sashimi, and nigiri

5 Main Types of Sushi


Type of Sushi	Description	Notes
Nigiri	A topping, usually fish, served on top of sushi rice	Not all nigiri is raw, though this dish is best for people who want to appreciate the flavor of the fish, shellfish, or other toppings
Sashimi	Fish or shellfish served alone (no rice)	This is best for people who really love to taste the fish or shellfish since it comes with nothing else
Maki	Rice and filling wrapped in seaweed	This is what most people think of when they think of sushi rolls
Uramaki	Similar to the above, but rice is on the outside and seaweed wraps around the filling	These rolls often have lots of toppings and sauces — they may either be cooked or raw
Temaki	Sushi that has been hand-rolled into a cone shape	The cones are not as easy to share as the rolls (though very delicious!)

Here's a brief run-down on what's what. For pictures and more information about each type, you can scroll to the sections below.

What's the Difference Between Sushi, Sashimi, and Nigiri?

Sashimi is just the meat, served without other ingredients. Sushi also uses rice and other ingredients, such as vegetables, which are all rolled up in a sheet or nori (seaweed) and sliced into pieces.

You'll either see it as maki (which means roll), where the seaweed is on the outside, uramaki, where the seaweed is on the inside and rice is on the outside, or temaki, a cone-shaped piece of sushi that's rolled by hand.

Nigiri is the dish that's halfway in between. Nigiri is sashimi that's served on a molded rectangle of rice.

Lastly, while most sashimi is raw fish, some sashimi is not raw and some sashimi is not fish. For example, unagi is cooked freshwater eel, and sashimi also encompasses other types of seafood, which you will see below.

Types of Sashimi

There are many different kinds of sashimi — these are some of the more common items that you might see. Spellings might vary.
Sashimi Name	So What Is It?
Ahi	Tuna (raw)
Aji	Spanish Mackerel (raw)
Amaebi	Sweet Shrimp (raw)
Anago	Saltwater Eel — usually deep-fried or boiled
Aoyagi	Round Clam (raw)
Bincho	Albacore White Tuna (raw)
Katsuo	Skipjack Tuna (raw)
Ebi	Tiger Shrimp (cooked)
Escolar	Butterfish (raw)
Hamachi	Yellow Tail (raw)
Hamachi Toro	Yellowtail Belly (raw)
Hirame	Halibut (raw)
Hokigai	Surf Clam (cooked)
Hotate	Scallop (raw)
Ika	Squid (the body is served raw, the tentacles are cooked)
Ikura	Salmon Roe (fish eggs)
Iwashi	Sardine (raw)
Kani	Crab Meat (cooked)
Kanpachi	Amberjack (raw)
Maguro	Tuna (raw)
Saba	Mackerel (raw)
Sake	Salmon (raw)
Sake Toro	Salmon Belly (raw)
Tai	Red Snapper (raw)
Tako	Octopus (cooked)
Tamago	Sweet Egg Omelet (cooked)
Toro	Blue Fin Belly (raw)
Tsubugai	Whelk Clam (raw)
Umi Masu	Ocean Trout (raw)
Unagi	Barbequed Freshwater Eel
Uni	Sea Urchin (raw)

Sashimi is to sushi as a fillet is to a taco. Any sashimi meat can be made into a sushi roll. And any chef can get creative and create specialty sushi rolls by combining multiple meats and vegetables. However, there are a few specialty sushi rolls that can be found at most restaurants, though the exact preparation can differ significantly.

Types of Popular Sushi Rolls

Most of these are uramaki — the kind where the rice is on the outside. Sushi rolls vary fairly significantly from one restaurant to the next, even though the names might be the same. You can always ask what is in a roll at a particular restaurant
Roll Name	So What's in It?	Contains Raw Fish?	You Should Order If . . .
Tiger Roll	Avocado, shrimp tempura, cucumber, tobiko (flying fish roe — fish eggs)	Usually not — double check to make sure	You like fried shrimp and avocado
Philadelphia Roll	Salmon, avocado, cream cheese	Yes	You like cold and creamy
Crunch Roll	Spicy tuna, crispy seaweed, tempura	Yes	You like crispy, crunchy and raw tuna
Dynamite Roll	Shrimp tempura, yellowtail, bean sprouts, carrots, avocado, cucumber, chili, spicy mayo	Sometimes	You like warm, creamy, and crunchy
Rainbow Roll	Fish cake/imitation crab, avocado, cucumber, tuna, avocado, salmon, shrimp, yellowtail	Yes	You like different kinds of sashimi
Dragon Roll	Eel, crab, cucumber / avocado outside, eel sauce	Sometimes	You love eel — which is warm, buttery, and a little sweet
California Roll	Crab or imitation crab, avocado, cucumber, sesame seeds	No	You don't like raw fish and like avocado
Spicy Tuna Roll	Tuna, mayo, chili sauce	Yes	You like cold and spicy
Caterpillar Roll	Eel, cucumber, avocado	No	You like eel (cooked and warm) and avocado
Spider Roll	Soft-shell crab tempura, cucumber, avocado, spicy mayo	No	You like crab and crunchy tempura
Vegetable Roll	Cucumber, fresh carrot, scallion, avocado, asparagus, cream cheese	No	You like veggies
Shrimp Tempura Roll	Shrimp tempura, avocado, tempura flakes, eel sauce	No	You like crunchy and fried shrimp
Surf and Turf Roll	Cucumber, fish cake/imitation crab, beef, carrot, tuna, salmon, avocado	Yes	You like raw fish and cooked beef
Tempura Roll	One or more of the parts is deep-fried in a light batter	Sometimes	You like crunchy, fried foods.
Volcano Roll	Contents will differ, but it will have some kind of topping that makes it looks like the roll is exploding.	Sometimes

There are also vegetarian sushi ingredients that have the added bonus of being on the cheaper side. These include:

Egg (tamago)
Cucumber (kappa)
Avocado

Common Sides and Condiments

Before we begin, you must know what to eat with sushi. I usually start my meal with miso soup and possibly some tempura—fried vegetables in a crunchy batter.

With your sushi, you will probably get wasabi (green paste made from Japanese horseradish) and ginger (pink pickled slices).

The Japanese use ginger to clear their palettes between courses. The wasabi should be mixed with shoyu (soy sauce) as a dipping sauce for your sushi.

The sushi roll you get might have brightly colored orange spheres or tiny black spheres on it—these are both roe, which are fish eggs.

Tobiko is the roe of flying fish and is usually a bright orange, though it can be colored to be black or even green.
Masago is the roe of capelin—this is also usually orange-colored unless it is dyed.

Meet Some Common Sushi Fillings

All of these pictures are of the fillings in nigiri form (on a bed of rice).

Sashimi is raw fish. When placed on rice (sometimes with nori, or sheets of seaweed), it is sushi. The following raw toppings can be found on sushi menus:

Ahi (tuna)

Ebi (shrimp)

Sake (salmon)

Unagi/anago (eel—unagi refers to freshwater and anago to saltwater)

Hamachi (yellow tail)

Ika (squid)

Kani (crab meat — artificial crab meat is pictured)

Artificial crab meat nigiri (made from a combination of fish)

Hotate (scallop)

Tako (octopus)

Uni (sea urchin)

Sushi Japanese Cuisine Vocabulary Quiz

For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.

What is octopus in Japanese?
- Unagi
- Tako
- Sashimi
What is Kani?
- Crab
- Tuna
- Squid
What is "squid" in Japanese?
- Hotate
- Uni
- Ika
What is Ikura?
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Sea Urchin
What is Ebi?
- Tuna
- Shrimp
- Scallop

Answer Key

Tako
Crab
Ika
Salmon
Shrimp

Sushi Rolls

Spicy Tuna Roll

Ahi (tuna) rolls usually have a dark pink layer of raw tuna in them.

However, spicy tuna (or spicy ahi) usually includes diced or shredded tuna with hot peppers. The spicy sauce that sushi chefs use is usually orange and is about as hot as a banana pepper or sandwich jalapeño.

Tempura Roll

Tempura is a Japanese style of deep frying that uses a light batter. Tempura rolls can be made in two ways.

As shown in the photo above, one way to make this crunchy delight is to make the entire roll tempura. In the photo above, the chef created sashimi rolls, covered it in tempura batter, and deep-fried the whole thing.

Tempura Style #2

Another way to make this crunchy delight is to prepare the contents tempura. For those rolls, shrimp tempura or some other kind of vegetable tempura is put inside the nori (seaweed paper).

Unagi Sushi

Unagi is a saltwater eel. Sushi usually uses a grilled slab of unagi coated or marinated in either oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce, or some other sweet-and-salty glaze. Unagi tastes like tender steak.

California Roll

A California roll is usually made with crab and avocado. If you purchase a California roll in a supermarket, you may get one with mayonnaise in it. In the California roll above, there is crab, ahi (tuna), and avocado. Sometimes it will be served with a slab of ahi on top.

Inari

Inari is breaded-rice sushi. The bread is thin and sweet and sometimes filled with vegetables such as carrot strips or cucumber.

Rainbow Roll

A rainbow roll is a sushi roll topped with many different types of sashimi.

The sushi roll underneath the sashimi is usually a California roll (avocado and crab).

To make this type of sushi, the chef prepares a California roll and adds the toppings afterwards.

Dragon Roll

Dragon rolls are usually unique to the chef, and many get creative with the appearance of the dragon roll—some making them look like dragons. So there is some variation as to the ingredients chosen by different chefs, but dragon rolls are usually filled with eel and cucumber and topped with thinly-sliced avocado, producing a scale effect.

Philly Roll

The Philly roll is a popular kind of sushi that you will find on many menus around the country. It usually has salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber, though it might come with other ingredients like avocado, onion, and sesame seed. It's named the Philly roll because of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, not because it's from Philadelphia.

Temaki With Crab

This is an example of a cone-shaped hand roll, which is called temaki. This one has crab in it—you can tell it's real crab because it's stringy. Imitation crab usually comes in stick form and is not stringy.

Spider Roll

The spider roll has soft-shell crab tempura, cucumber, avocado, and spicy mayo on it. Sometimes the chef will construct it so it looks like it has spider legs coming out of the sides.

Vegetarian Roll

There's even something for people who don't eat fish at a sushi restaurant! Many places offer a veggie roll, which will—no surprise here—contain different kinds of vegetables like cucumber or avocado.

Volcano Roll

The contents of volcano rolls tends to vary, but the one thing they have in common is that there is usually some kind of topping on the rolls that makes it look like the sushi is exploding—hence the term "volcano roll."

Other Common Words on Sushi Menus


Item	What Is It?
Agedashi	Soft tofu coated with potato starch and deep fried
Chirashi	Bowl of rice mixed with fish, vegetables, and additional ingredients of your choice
Daikon	A type of radish
Donburi	Japanese "rice bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice
Edamame	A dish made of unripened soybeans
Gomae	Vegetable dish made with sesame dressing
Gyoza	Japanese pan-fried dumplings
Ika	Cuttlefish
Ikura	Salmon roe
Kaki	Persimmon
Kanikama	Imitation crab meat
Kappa	Cucumber
Katsu	Deep fried cutlet
Kushiyaki	Generic term for skewered and grilled meat and vegetables
Maki	Rice and fillings wrapped in seaweed (commonly called sushi roll)
Masago	Capelin roe (fish eggs) — orange in color
Miso	A traditional Japanese seasoning
Mochi	Chewy dessert made from rice
Nasu	Eggplant
Negi	Green onion
Nigiri	Raw fish served over pressed, vinegared rice
Omakase	Chef's choice
Poke	Raw fish salad served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine, and sometimes as an entree
Ponzu	a Japanese dipping sauce made from soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar, and fish flakes
Roe	Fish eggs
Sashimi	Thinly sliced meat served without rice
Shiso	A kind of Japanese herb
Sriracha	A type of sweet and spicy sauce
Teba	Chicken wings
Tekka	A type of Japanese condiment
Temaki	Hand-roll: rice and fish in a cone-shaped seaweed wrapper
Tempura	Japanese breaded frying preparation
Tentsuyu	A Japenese tempura dip
Tobiko	Flying fish roe
Toro	Belly area of fish
Udon	Type of thick noodle made with wheat flour
Ume	A type of pickled plum
Uzura	Quail
Wakame	A type of seaweed
Wasabi	A type of Japanese herb similar to horseradish
Yaki Tori	Japanese type of skewered chicken
Yakisoba	Fried buckwheat noodles
Yamagobo	Japanese pickled burdock root
Yuzu	A type of citrus fruit

Comments

Mahdia on August 17, 2020:

Wow that was very usefull

Haruo (Leland) on August 14, 2020:

One fairly common term I don't see here is gunkan, a rice base with a seaweed wall around it and topping on the rice rather than filling inside as in a maki. I would count it as one of the six basic forms. Also inari might merit a place at that level, gomoku inari is a vegan favorite of mine.

AL on June 30, 2020:

Helpful, but not ease to memorize them all

Foster.Zoey on May 18, 2020:

9429 Tyrone Pl

@Clo Clo on March 29, 2020:

I think there are 124 types of sushi, meats, rolls, and words related to sushi if I counted right

Mike Hawk on March 07, 2020:

This is completely wrong totally offensive to my gender aka Apache attack helicopters

Naomi Sicuso Gonzalez on March 02, 2020:

I do not like

CloClo on March 02, 2020:

Wow helpful!

Clo Clo on March 01, 2020:

I didn’t expect that much sushi but can you also tell us how many types of sushi are there?

n_n_09 on February 03, 2020:

Don't expect to find those crazy, OTT rolls in Japan, because they don't exist there. They're purely an American/westernized version of sushi. Most Japanese people find them weird and gross.

Bhuwan bahadur sunar on December 20, 2019:

I love japanese food

Emmua on November 04, 2019:

Sushi is my favorite food I go to sushi restaurants all the time you did a great job on this website by the way.

Tanker on October 29, 2019:

It needs to include the Godzilla

Callum on October 16, 2019:

I like sushi

Stella I on August 16, 2019:

I'm willing to try sushi you've got my attention and man am I hungry

Darktanker on August 12, 2019:

Show more types of sushi

Hamwar Ali on July 07, 2019:

it looks very delicious but we people of middle east don't eat sea food that much :(

hey on June 18, 2019:

I think it's important to realize this isn't info to be used when ordering sushi when actually in Japan. Much like "Chinese" food. Most Sushi chains in the US/Canada are Americanized and adjusted to better mesh with an American/British pallet. THIS guide is specifically for understanding Americanized sushi. It's absolutely helpful if you want to try out sushi in the west. But don't mistake it for a guide for sushi in Japan.

Olga on June 08, 2019:

It’s very good to learn. Thank you!

yeet on May 31, 2019:

apple bees is better

stag on March 02, 2019:

this is good to learn about sushi and different kinds

baba on February 26, 2019:

Japanese don't eat that much avocado

mimi on February 10, 2019:

nice...

the best and healthier food and good taste

Christina on January 14, 2019:

Yummm, I love sushi! It is very delicious! :D

Stela on November 25, 2018:

ooh, very helpful!! i didnt know there'd be so many kinds of sushi!

jeff on November 01, 2018:

i also thought wasabi was avocado because my dad said it was

Koko on September 04, 2018:

I don't know if anyone else caught this, because I saw a lot of people pointing out issues, but Inari (Inarizushi) is not 'breaded rice' at all

It's sushi rice is stuffed in seasoned aburaage tofu pouches.

I knot his is a place where people want to get good information, so I hope this helps

Caroline Filomeno on September 02, 2018:

tofu is a sponge made out of soy beans. This definitely a real 101

Dave Christian on August 18, 2018:

I rove to eat them sushi’s

Mirrin on August 17, 2018:

Thanks

Kayla on August 14, 2018:

What is tofo is please

Chhiring lama on July 26, 2018:

It's a helpful thaks

Padma kumara on June 28, 2018:

Awasome information ..i learning shushi..and i get more information ...thanks

Dhruv on June 13, 2018:

Doing a progect for school now...have to design a resturant. Found this to be very helpful and informative :) 5 stars!! * * * * *

Scott on June 10, 2018:

Tons of mistakes

Unknown on May 19, 2018:

I am hungry now..... aaaaaw delicious sushi,,..ssoooooooooooo gooooooooood

April on April 07, 2018:

Very helpful and informative! Bravo!!!!

Lumi Martin on March 27, 2018:

Superbly written and illustrated, very informative and comprehensive. Your feature helps a sushi novice like me get a clearer picture of the Japanese cuisine. Thank you for putting together such a great piece of work.

Akira Fudo on March 01, 2018:

Sashimi is not a type of sushi, sashimi is sashimi, sushi is sushi.

Other than that, you forgot hosomaki.

Sushi_eater_1000 on February 08, 2018:

GOod info for essays and presentations. Like the lists of types of sushi and shashimi.

Yohana on December 27, 2017:

Great information!

just a piece of feedback, only westerners put wasabi inside the soy sauce, traditional Japanese customs advise to NEVER mix the wasabi with the soy sauce.

SUSHIPERSONZ on November 20, 2017:

THIS BE GOOD SUSHI!!!!!!!

Kathie on November 10, 2017:

This is the most informative article I've ever read! I now feel I can go to a sushi restaurant and know what to order rather than have my daughter do it for me! Thank you for making every imaginable item so clear.

Anon on November 06, 2017:

This was great! Going to have dinner with my friends and this just gave me everything I needed to pick what I would like to eat.

MattYs on October 21, 2017:

Tempura - Japanese breaded frying preparation

Really? Breaded?...

Chris on July 06, 2017:

i work at a sushi restaurant, and this page gave me exactly what i need to make better recommendations to my customers

Annie on June 29, 2017:

Last month I was on Europe trip with my sis and our friends. In Warsaw (Poland) we tried a sushi in Sakana (Moliera street? This one who wrote La Tartuffe) and it was so amazing! I eat sushi a lot, but this one has had an amazing taste of Japan!

nejonbikram@gmail.com on May 23, 2017:

its a helpful.thanx

Shanice on May 19, 2017:

Wow! this is fantastic. Thanks!

debbie on May 19, 2017:

what is the rice shaped crunchy garnish used in some sushi, it looks similar to freeze dried rice?

Ema Fernandes on March 28, 2017:

My favorite dish.... for me all Sundays are Sushi day...

Jamie Goodwin on February 24, 2017:

Katsuo is Skipjack Tuna, Bonito is often used as a substitute, but is not the same fish. Just noticed it on your list, and thought I would point it out. They share the same Subfamily, but they are different species of fish. Wonderful post though.

Christine Nguyen on February 05, 2017:

When was this made ?

Mayt on January 13, 2017:

Excellence post!

Decstar on June 29, 2016:

Visuable and can correlate own visualization of an idea from the above publication. Photos are vividly clear (It can help a new chef see the end result), explanation on each dish was short and meaning was derived.

Suggestion to expand on regions and cultures what sushi do they prefer.

Relaxing read!!! Thanx

Lori on June 05, 2016:

This was helpful for because i want eat sushi but didnt know what eat. Thanks

Bianca McGill on February 22, 2015:

Mmmmm I love sushi, my first time eating it I thought wasabi was guacamole lol so I did a big dip of that And my mouth was on fire My nose lol was burning

ms. lady on October 14, 2014:

love sushi!!! very hungry now

sushilover101 on October 07, 2014:

this helped alot with my homework

HungryGal on September 26, 2014:

I have always liked sushi, but lately I have been craving it. These beautiful pictures have only made me hungry for more!

Great write up, I learned a lot reading this. I can't wait to try a dragon roll! Thank you.

vibesites from United States on November 08, 2013:

I'm not a fan of raw seafood, but my musician friend loves it (in fact she has written songs about sushi and sashimi). Perhaps I'll start with unagi sushi since the eel is cooked. I love the plating, as the Japanese are so good in it. :)

cardelean from Michigan on May 12, 2012:

I think that the tempura rolls are my favorite. This is a great guide, especially for those who have never tried sushi.

Robin Edmondson from San Francisco on May 10, 2012:

One of my favorite foods! The spicy tuna rolls are my absolute favorite - with lots of ginger and wasabi! Yumm! I appreciate the breakdown of all of the different types of sushi; I know that I'm always looking them up. ;)

Guitarforlife from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 07, 2012:

Your hub is making me hungry. I could use some sushi right about now.

Anna from New York, NY on May 07, 2012:

I grew up eating Japanese food but still learned so much from your hub. For instance, I didn't know soy sauce is called "shoyu". Your photos are amazing and just made me really hungry! Thanks for a great hub.

Brittany Kennedy (author) from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on May 06, 2012:

Thank you, Teresa! Sushi is intimidating to a lot of people because of the raw fish, but there is a different kind for everyone. Thanks again!

Teresa Coppens from Ontario, Canada on May 06, 2012:

I've always wondered what the 'sushi' rolls were made of besides raw fish. I'm quite sure you have not converted me to eating sushi, but I did love your colourful hub which for me was quite enlightening. I learned a lot! Voted up!