ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sushi

n. · v.
US //ˈsuʃi// UK //sˈuːʃi// sushi
  1. 1 Japanese rice dish (n.)
    A1 Beginner Cooking

    a Japanese food made of small pieces of cold rice with vinegar, often topped with raw fish or wrapped in seaweed.

    a Japanese dish of vinegared rice, typically served with a garnish of seafood, vegetables, or egg. While often associated with raw fish, the term technically refers to the prepared rice itself.

    Example

    We went to a Japanese restaurant and ordered a large platter of sushi to share.

    Example

    The chef demonstrated the precise technique required to shape the sushi rice without crushing the individual grains.

    Usage

    Usually uncountable when referring to the cuisine, but can be countable when referring to individual pieces.

    Pitfall
    I don't like sushi because I don't eat raw fish.
    I don't like sashimi because I don't eat raw fish.

    Many learners confuse sushi (the rice dish) with sashimi (plain slices of raw fish). Sushi always contains rice, but not all sushi contains raw fish.

  2. 2 to prepare as sushi (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Informal Cooking

    to prepare a specific ingredient, like fish or vegetables, in the style of sushi.

    to prepare or style a food item according to the conventions of sushi preparation. This usage is often found in creative or fusion culinary contexts.

    Example

    The chef decided to sushi the local trout for the fusion menu.

    Example

    The restaurant's signature move is to sushi non-traditional ingredients like smoked duck and pickled pear.

    Teacher's tip

    This verbal use is quite rare and mostly found in trendy culinary circles or informal food writing.

Origin

Borrowed from Japanese 寿司(すし) (sushi, “sushi (sour rice)”), ultimately from archaic conjugation 酸(す)し (sushi, “sour, vinegared”) of modern adjective 酸(す)い (sui, “sour, vinegared”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026