sushi

sushi — noun

1. A Japanese dish made with vinegared rice that is shaped into small pieces and to

1.nounB1
Definition

A Japanese dish made with vinegared rice that is shaped into small pieces and topped with ingredients such as raw or cooked fish, shellfish, vegetables, or egg, and sometimes wrapped in seaweed.

Example

Joon and his friends went to a small sushi restaurant near the station.

collocation: sushi restaurant

Ritu ordered a plate of sushi with salmon and avocado for lunch.

collocation: order sushi

Common collocations
  • sushi restaurant
  • sushi bar
  • sushi chef
  • order sushi
  • eat sushi
  • make sushi
  • roll sushi
  • fresh sushi
  • vegetable sushi
  • sushi roll
Synonyms
  • maki

    A type of sushi rolled in seaweed and cut into round pieces; not a synonym for all sushi.

  • nigiri

    Hand-formed sushi with a slice of fish on top of a rice ball; a specific style, not a general alternative.

Usage Note

Sushi is an uncountable noun in English, so it does not usually have a plural form. Use 'a piece of sushi' or 'a sushi roll' for individual items.

Common Mistakes

I ate a sushi for dinner.
I ate sushi for dinner.
Sushi is uncountable; do not use 'a' directly before it.
I ordered sushi because I wanted raw fish.
I ordered sashimi because I wanted raw fish.
Sushi may or may not contain raw fish; sashimi is sliced raw fish served without rice.

Etymology

JapaneseEnglish

Sushi comes from Japanese, where the word originally referred to the sour taste of fermented fish preserved in salt and rice. In the 19th century, Tokyo chefs began serving fresh raw fish on vinegar-seasoned rice, creating the sushi we know today. The word entered English in the late 1800s alongside the growing popularity of Japanese cuisine.