Nakiri, Usuba or Santoku? Shopping Smart for the Best Nakiri Knife

A nakiri is the Japanese vegetable knife: a thin, flat-edged rectangle, usually about 6.5 inches long, that chops straight down instead of rocking. Put one next to a pile of white onions, a bunch of cilantro and a few Roma tomatoes and you see why prep cooks love it. Every stroke meets the board along the whole edge, so there are no strings of onion still joined at the bottom and no herbs crushed by a curved tip.

It is not a small cleaver, though it looks like one, and it is not a santoku. This guide explains the differences, including the single-bevel usuba that professional Japanese chefs use, and names the nakiri knives worth buying for a home kitchen that goes through a lot of vegetables.

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Quick verdict: which nakiri to buy

All of these are nakiri, the double-bevel style sharpened on both sides that suits home cooks (Tojiro and Kai do not state the bevel on their listings). The section on nakiri, usuba and santoku below explains why.

Five nakiri knives side by side

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook, with the specifications each maker, listing or reviewer states. All nine nakiri are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Weights are as stated by the maker or America’s Test Kitchen; where neither publishes one, we say so.

Our picks for the best nakiri knife

Nine nakiri made the list, from a dishwasher-safe stainless knife to a hand-forged carbon-steel blade. All are nakiri rather than single-bevel usuba, all are sold on Amazon in the United States, and all were in stock when we checked. America’s Test Kitchen’s three top-rated nakiri were not available from Amazon when we looked, so where ATK’s findings apply to the knives below, we say which ones.

Nakiri, usuba or santoku: which vegetable knife?

The three knives look related and do overlapping jobs, but the edge is what separates them.

• Nakiri is a double-bevel knife, ground and sharpened on both sides, with a straight edge and a square tip. Knifewear’s comparison calls it “a workhorse knife, every home can use”, suited to left- and right-handed cooks, with average sharpening difficulty. Every pick on this page is a nakiri.
• Usuba is a single-bevel knife, ground on one side only. Knifewear rates it “expert” to sharpen, notes that it is made for one hand, so a left-handed cook needs a left-handed usuba, and describes it as a tool for paper-thin slicing and the rotary peeling Japanese chefs use for garnishes. When we checked, every true single-bevel usuba on Amazon from makers such as Yoshihiro and Masamoto was down to its last few units, so none made this list. Note that some makers, Mac among them, use “usuba” for knives that are actually double beveled.
• Santoku has a double-bevel edge like a nakiri but with a curved belly and a pointed, sloping tip. It handles meat and fish as well as vegetables and allows a slight rocking cut. If you want one general-purpose Japanese knife, a santoku is the better first buy; see our best santoku knife guide.

A nakiri is also not a cleaver. America’s Test Kitchen’s guide to buying one is blunt: the blade is thin and brittle, so avoid “hacking up chicken parts”, bone-in proteins and frozen food. If you need a blade for bone, see our guide to the best cleaver, which covers both meat cleavers and the larger Chinese vegetable cleaver.

How to choose a nakiri knife

Weight

America’s Test Kitchen’s testers preferred nakiri of about 5 to 6 ounces, which reduced arm fatigue during long prep; their least favorite models weighed nearly twice as much. The Mac (5.6 oz) and Global (6⅝ oz) are the lightest here; the Shun is a little heavier.

Blade thickness and length

Thin blades performed best in ATK’s review, because thick spines wedged into food, though a thicker spine helped with dense squash. ATK’s testers preferred blades of about 6.5 inches, long enough for big peppers and greens in a single stroke, while a 6-inch blade gave more control for dicing onions.

Steel: stainless or carbon

ATK’s testers had no preference between carbon and stainless steel, because the carbon-steel models were clad in stainless and only the edges could rust. Choose stainless (Shun, Global, Mac, Kai) for low maintenance, carbon core (Yoshihiro Kurouchi) for edge retention if you will wipe and dry it every time.

Hardness and edge angle

Harder steels, such as the Miyabi’s 60 to 62 HRC or the Yoshihiro Blue #2’s 62 to 63, hold a finer edge longer but chip more easily. Softer German steel, like the Mercer’s, is tougher and easier to hone. A finer edge angle, from Miyabi’s 9.5 to 12 degrees to Shun’s 16, cuts more cleanly but needs more care.

Handle

ATK found textured materials, especially unvarnished wood, easiest to grip, and metal, plastic and some composite handles slick when wet. Wa handles (Yoshihiro) are light and shift the balance forward; Western riveted handles (Tojiro, Mercer) feel familiar if you use German knives.

Care

Only the Kai is sold as dishwasher safe. Everything else should be hand washed and dried straight away, and Yoshihiro advises drying immediately after acidic ingredients. Keep any nakiri on wood or plastic; our best wood cutting board guide has options, and our best knife sharpener guide covers keeping a straight edge sharp.

How to use a nakiri in a Mexican kitchen

A nakiri changes your cutting technique. As ATK puts it, the straight edge means you chop up and down rather than rocking the blade from tip to heel. Lift the whole blade, let it fall through the food, and slide the food back with your guiding hand between strokes.

• Onions for pico de gallo and salsa. Halve the onion, make horizontal and vertical cuts toward the root, then chop straight down. The flat edge cuts through every layer, so there are no onion strips still joined at the bottom.
• Cilantro. Bunch the leaves and tender stems and chop straight down; a nakiri cuts herbs cleanly rather than bruising them. Our guide to Mexican herbs covers which herbs go where.
• Tomatoes and tomatillos. A sharp, thin nakiri slices ripe tomatoes without crushing them, the first step of a good salsa roja or salsa verde.
• Cabbage and radishes. Shred cabbage for tostadas and pozole, and slice radishes thin for garnish.
• Scooping. ATK notes the flat blade makes a good scoop for moving food to a bowl or pan, but do not drag the edge across the board, which dulls it.

How we picked these nine nakiri knives

We started from what a prep station asks of a vegetable knife: a thin, flat edge that meets the board along its length, a weight that does not tire the arm, a handle that grips when wet, and steel that holds an edge through a long session of onions and herbs. We then narrowed the field to double-bevel nakiri sold on Amazon in the United States and in stock when we checked, from identifiable makers, and confirmed specifications on the maker’s site where possible (Shun, Mac, Zwilling for Miyabi) or the brand’s own Amazon listing, saying which in each review. We used America’s Test Kitchen’s nakiri review and its guide to buying a nakiri for how these knives behave, and Knifewear’s comparison for nakiri versus usuba; we read all three. ATK’s three top-rated nakiri, from Masamoto, Sakai Kikumori and Masutani, were not available in stock on Amazon, and no true single-bevel usuba was either. We did not use these knives ourselves, and we passed over marketplace brands whose steel and “Damascus” claims we could not verify.

Nakiri questions, answered

What is the best nakiri knife for home use?

The Shun Classic 6.5-inch nakiri suits most home cooks: a fine edge, a handle for either hand and a recommendation from America’s Test Kitchen. If you want something lighter, the Mac Professional or Global G-5; if you want dishwasher-safe, the Kai Moegi.

What did America’s Test Kitchen pick as the best nakiri?

ATK’s winner was the Masamoto Sohonten Wa-Nakiri, with the Sakai Kikumori Aogami 2 and Masutani VG1 also highly recommended. Those were not in stock on Amazon when we checked. Among the knives ATK recommended that are available, the Shun Classic and Global G-5 are on this list.

What is the best nakiri knife for the money?

The Mercer Genesis is the least expensive way to try the shape, with a tough German edge and a lifetime warranty. For a Japanese-made knife on a moderate budget, look at the Kai Moegi or the Tojiro DP.

Is a nakiri worth it if I have a chef’s knife?

If you cut a lot of vegetables, yes. A nakiri’s flat edge and up-and-down motion make faster, cleaner work of onions, herbs and cabbage. It does not replace a chef’s knife for meat or for rocking cuts; our best chef knife guide covers that.

Can a nakiri cut meat?

Boneless meat, yes. ATK says a nakiri can handle “pretty much everything else”, including thick steaks, as long as you avoid heavy-duty tasks. Never use it on bone or frozen food.

Should I buy a single-bevel usuba instead?

Probably not for a home kitchen. Knifewear rates the usuba “expert” to sharpen and notes it is made for one hand, while the double-bevel nakiri suits everyone. An usuba is a specialist’s knife for paper-thin slicing and garnishes.

Our final pick for vegetable prep

Buy the Shun Classic nakiri if you want one excellent vegetable knife that works for either hand. Choose the Mac or Global G-5 for less weight, the Yoshihiro Kurouchi for a carbon-steel edge, the Kai Moegi for the dishwasher, and the Mercer Genesis to try the shape on a budget. For the rest of the knife block, see our guides to the best Japanese knife and the best knife set, and for bigger blades, the best cleaver.

Want one made in Japan? See our guide to the best Japanese nakiri knives.

On a budget? See our guide to the best cheap nakiri knives.

Related guide: Nakiri vs santoku.

And if you would rather someone else chopped the onions tonight, see the menu or call to order.