nigiri

[ ni-geer-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Japanese Cooking.

cold boiled rice moistened with rice vinegar, shaped into bite-size pieces and topped with raw seafood.

nigiri

/ �Ծ�ːˈɡ��ː��ː /

noun

(in Japanese cuisine) a small oval block of cold rice topped with wasabi and a thin slice of fish, prawn, etc, and sometimes held together by a thin band of seaweed

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Word History and Origins

Origin of nigiri¹

First recorded in 1945–50; from Japanese nigiri-zushi, literally, “hand-pressed sushi, rolled sushi,” from nigiri “a gripping or grasping, handmade rice ball,” from nigiru “to grip, grasp, roll a lump of rice in the hand” + -zushi, combining form of sushi ( def )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of nigiri¹

from Japanese, literally: grasp, as the rice is shaped by hand

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Compare Meanings

How does nigiri compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

nigiri vs. sushi

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Hideki Matsuyama, the first champion from Japan, in 2022 splurged with sashimi, nigiri sushi and Wagyu beef.

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The sushi joint serves sushi by the pound and offers over 30 sushi and nigiri varieties.

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Lee said he only picked out 10 pieces of sushi and nigiri because most of the other options contained shellfish, to which he’s allergic.

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But the signature nigiri, dressed to drive the unique flavors of each variety of fish home, is a close second.

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Juno now offers omakase, a set tasting menu of 20 bites, including appetizers, nigiri, sashimi, warm plates and dessert.

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nighty-night nigrescent

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