The ten Greatest Japanese Knives of 2025, Examined & Reviewed

Knife nerds (like us!) go ham over the trivialities of blades: bevel angles, carbon proportion, carbon kind, esoteric blade shapes. There’s a lot to debate concerning this important cooking device. And one main sub-category that positively fizzes with excited chatter is Japanese knives. The sheer breadth and number of Japanese knife types will be overwhelming: deba, gyuto, kentsuke, honesuki, nakiri…and that’s simply scratching the floor. 

However, fortunately, we’ve reviewed tons of Japanese blades all through the years—lots of which our editors use every day. Listed here are 10 of one of the best Japanese knives we’ve examined, whether or not you need an all-purpose workhorse or a specialised blade. 

What We Discovered 

What Is a Japanese-Model Knife? 

There isn’t a hard-and-fast reply to this query since there are numerous sorts of Japanese knives. Japanese-style knives may even be made by Western manufacturers, which additional muddies the definition. (A notice on this: A few of our favourite knives, such the Tojiro petty knife, aren’t essentially Japanese-style however are made by Japanese manufacturers.) Nevertheless, they do typically have a number of commonalities, together with being made from high-carbon metal and having a barely totally different form than most Western-style knives. 

Whereas deba and nakiri are conventional Japanese blades with distinctive options, some Japanese knives are modeled after Western-style ones. Take the gyuto, for instance. This all-purpose knife is comparable in size and form to a Western-style chef’s knife, with an extended blade and a stomach that curves up towards the tip. The distinction typically lies within the weight and extremity of the curve, in addition to the bevel and materials. Gyutos typically have an asymmetrical bevel, which means one facet of the blade is extra angled than the opposite. (Try our chef’s knife evaluation for a great visible.) Western chef’s knives, however, typically sport a double-beveled edge. Paired with softer stainless-steel, the knife is straightforward to get again into form with a number of swipes on a honing rod. 

What Are the Completely different Sorts of Japanese Knives?

There’s a enormous number of Japanese knives, however right here I’ll deal with those we have now reviewed and written about. 

Gyutos, as I discussed, are Japanese-style chef’s knives. Like Western-style chef’s knives, they’re versatile blades, often between six and 12 inches lengthy. Typically made from excessive carbon metal, they’re tremendous sharp and maintain their edge longer than stainless-steel blades. They have an inclination to have asymmetrical bevels, so if you select a knife, be certain that it matches your handedness—in case you’re a righty, search for a blade with a better left bevel, and vice versa in case you’re a lefty. 

One other traditional Japanese blade is the santoku. This knife is formed like a sheep’s foot, and in case you don’t know what that appears like, it’s flat on the underside with a prime that tapers downward. It employs a push-cut movement quite than a rocking slice, for the reason that leading edge isn’t curved. Santoku had been created as a extra approachable model of the gyuto. As Josh Donald of Bernal Cutlery advised us in our santoku evaluation: “Skilled cooks who had been making ready Western-influenced yoshoku meals readily adopted the gyuto, however dwelling cooks didn’t. It was too large and too totally different from the nakiri, deba, and yanagi dwelling cooking setup. Knife-makers’ response was to make a knife that might be extra acceptable—sensible and trendy however not an excessive amount of of a diversion from their mom’s knife equipment.”

Nakiri knives are rectangular blades that had been designed to cut and cube greens. Because the blade solely curves up close to the blunt finish, the chopping movement of those knives is kind of totally different from the rock-chop of many Western-style blades. As an alternative, a push-cut movement is required, like with a santoku. 

Deba knives are specifically designed for filleting fish. And whilst you would possibly envision a skinny, flexible filet knife, they couldn’t be extra totally different. As an alternative, the deba is a thick piece of metallic with a extreme bevel on one facet (referred to as a chisel edge). This weighty, sharp knife helps you to reduce near the bone and has sufficient heft to chop by way of bone, too. 

One other task-specific knife is the honesuki, which is a Japanese boning knife that’s typically used for poultry. The sharp edge and triangular-shaped blade has a single bevel, like a deba, and slides neatly alongside bones and thru joints. 

The Standards: What to Search for in a Japanese Knife 

What to search for varies with blade model and use case, however there are some primary traits you’ll need. First, it’s gotta be sharp and, ideally, it holds its edge for a very long time. The deal with must be snug to carry and use, too. The entire knives we’ve listed right here and examined have these qualities. 

The Greatest Japanese Knives 

What we favored: It is a tremendous sharp knife that retains a eager edge even after frequent use. The light-weight blade is balanced with a compact deal with, lending precision and management to every chopping stroke. It’s a knife that lots of our editors (like me, hello!) personal and attain for over different blades. 

What we didn’t like: It has an asymmetrical bevel, which might take some getting used to. It’s additionally expensive. 

Key Specs

• Supplies: Composite wooden deal with and stain-resistant Swedish metal blade
• Blade size: 8.2 inches
• Weight: 5.6 ounces

What we favored: Much like the UX10, this all-rounder of a knife was straightforward to wield and extremely sharp because of its carbon metal blade. The slim deal with was straightforward to grip, too. It’s additionally moderately priced for a high-quality Japanese blade. 

What we didn’t like: Carbon metal knives require somewhat extra care than stainless-steel. They should be completely dried and possibly even rubbed with some mineral oil to stop rusting. Whereas they maintain their edge longer than stainless-steel knives, they do require extra care when sharpening. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Supplies: Composite wooden, Swedish carbon metal
• Deal with size: 4.5 inches
• Blade size: 8.5 inches

What we favored: The faceted deal with made this knife straightforward to grip and maneuver, a necessary high quality for a heavy blade. It deftly sliced filets from fish and had sufficient heft to chop by way of bones, too. It is a nice selection for somebody new to utilizing deba knives; it’s made from stainless-steel, which is extra forgiving and simpler to keep up than carbon metal. 

What we didn’t like: The deal with was somewhat massive. Stainless-steel dulls extra rapidly than carbon metal, although you should utilize a honing rod to realign the blade edge. 

Key Specs

• Deal with size: 4.75 inches
• Blade size: 150 millimeters (6 inches)
• Backbone thickness: 5 millimeters at widest level
• Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Supplies: Molybdenum vanadium stainless-steel, composite deal with

What we favored: It is a tremendous sharp santoku that’s nice for a wide range of duties, together with chopping greens and breaking down poultry. At six ounces, it was the proper weight, each agile and hefty sufficient to slice cleanly.  

What we didn’t like: The deal with was a bit massive and slippery, however apart from that it’s a superb knife. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6 ounces
• Blade size: 6.5 inches
• Deal with size: 4.5 inches
• Supplies: ​Sub-zero tempered metal 

What we favored: This sharp, stainless-steel santoku has a barely curved blade, making it an ideal introduction to this model of knife. It swiftly reduce by way of hen joints with out snagging on the pores and skin and tackled hardy root greens and tender chives equally properly. Because it’s stainless-steel, it’s simpler to keep up. 

What we didn’t like: It was somewhat blade-heavy, which made it harder to regulate. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.8 ounces
• Blade size: 6.5 inches
• Deal with size: 4.75 inches
• Supplies: Stainless-steel

What we favored: This spiffy rectangular blade is a incredible knife for chopping onions, slicing peppers, and even chopping boneless meat. It’s cheap, sailed by way of our assessments, and is an editor favourite. 

What we didn’t like: There wasn’t a lot to not like, truthfully. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 7.1 ounces
• Deal with materials: Pakkawood (a wooden and plastic resin composite)
• Blade materials: VG-10 stainless-steel core with 3-ply clad building
• Blade size: 6.5 inches
• Deal with size: 4.75 inches

What we favored: This nakiri has a barely curved blade, making it simpler to get used to the push-cut movement. It’s skinny, nimble, and sharp, making it an ideal every day driver of a prep knife. 

What we didn’t like: Whereas we prefer it, the all-metal deal with isn’t for everybody. This knife is on the pricier facet, too. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.8 ounces
• Deal with & blade materials: Cromova 18 stainless-steel (a mix of chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium that’s unique to International)
• Blade size: 7 inches
• Deal with size: 4.75 inches

What we favored: A paring knife could also be a kitchen underdog, however this Japanese metal magnificence will put it again in your radar. It stayed sharp all through our many rounds of assessments, together with slicing tomatoes, hulling strawberries, mincing shallots, and supreming citrus. The blade is considerably formed like a santoku, with a downward tapered tip, making it notably adept at mincing alliums. 

What we didn’t like: Because the blade is excessive in carbon metal, it’s vulnerable to chipping if used improperly. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 2 ounces
• Supplies: Cobalt alloy metal core, 13 chrome stainless-steel coating, black laminated bolstered wooden
• Blade size: 3.5 inches

What we favored: This heavy, inflexible blade operates equally to a deba knife, with the heft serving to it reduce near bones and cleave by way of joints. The pointed tip additionally helps you to make deep, exact cuts, like when eradicating hen breasts from the chest plate. 

What we didn’t like: Having a separate knife solely for butchering poultry won’t be essential for everybody. It additionally takes an skilled hand to sharpen appropriately. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Supplies: Cobalt alloy metal, 13 chrome stainless-steel, black laminated bolstered wooden
• Blade size: 6 inches

What we favored: Whereas a bread slicer isn’t essentially a Japanese-model knife, Tojiro is a Japanese model and we have now lengthy beloved this serrated slicer. It’s extremely sharp out of the field, and the lengthy, straight blade cuts decisively by way of crusty boules and tender loaves alike. It’s additionally moderately priced. 

What we didn’t like: It’s a skinny, flexible knife, so it did wrestle somewhat to take away the pores and skin from a hardy butternut squash—however we’re splitting hairs right here. 

Key Specs

• Weight: 105 grams
• Blade size: 9.88 inches 
• General size: 14.75 inches 

FAQs

What sort of Japanese knife is one of the best?

There isn’t a greatest blade because it will depend on your expertise and wishes. A gyuto is a good all-purpose knife that’s akin to a Western chef’s knife. A pointy santoku or nakiri are incredible choices for produce prep. There are additionally extremely specialised knives, like deba and honesuki, that are used for fileting fish and breaking down poultry, respectively. 

What makes Japanese knives totally different?

There are a selection of things, together with blade materials, bevel, and form. It’s tough to generalize since Japanese blades are a various bunch with totally different qualities. 

Why We’re the Specialists

• Grace Kelly is a senior editor at Critical Eats, the place she’s been reviewing kitchen devices, together with knives, for practically three years. 
• She’s reviewed nakiri, deba, and santoku knives, and makes use of a wide range of Japanese blades for her every day meals prep.