Types of Kitchen Knives Explained: A Complete Glossary

Ever found yourself wondering, what is the difference between all these types of kitchen knives? Well, this is the article for you! Here are our 15 different knife types explained! From nakiri to boning knife we’re here to offer some clarity and help you decide which knife is best for you.

Glossary overview:

In depth knife glossary:

1. Santoku knife

The name Santoku originates from the etymology of 三 san (three) + 徳 toku (virtue), this has long been seen as referring to its three uses. Either as slicing, dicing and chopping, or the three foods it handles so well: meat, fish and vegetables. The knife is a perfect all-rounder, designed as the Japanese equivalent to the Western Chef’s knife. Its blade is less curved which lends itself a straight lift and cut style of chopping, as opposed to rocking. This creates a uniform cut due to the contact with the board. The wider blade also means you can use the knife to pick up and drop your chopped ingredients into whichever dish you may be cooking.

2. Bread knife

The use of a bread knife is in the name. It’s designed with serrated teeth to cut through baked goods (bread, cakes, bagels) without tearing or squashing the bread or leaving crumbs all over your table. The Katana Saya bread knife is single bevelled (sharp on one side) to allow for extremely precise or thin cuts. Other uses include levelling cakes or cutting through fruits with soft interiors, like tomatoes.

3. Paring knife

A paring knife is a short light weight knife designed for precision work. The name comes from “pare,” which means to trim or peel away the outer layer of something. Hence it’s used for peeling, trimming, coring, trimming fat, deveining shrimp, or scoring; basically any task where a chef’s knife feels like overkill.

4. Chefs knife

The Chefs knife is often referred to as the workhorse of the kitchen, it’s the perfect all rounder beginner friendly knife. It’s great for chopping and dicing vegetables as the blade’s height allows for efficient knuckle-guided cutting, while its length covers more surface area with each stroke. It makes light work of boneless meats like chicken breasts, pork loins or beef fillets. Not only that, the rocking motion enabled by the curved blade makes quick work of chopping herbs, and the flat side of the blade serves as an excellent tool for crushing garlic cloves or smashing ginger, releasing oils and flavours more effectively than mincing alone. As we said, the perfect all-rounder!

5. Carving knife

The carving knife features a long, thin blade which creates clean seamless cuts of cooked meats like turkey, ham or brisket. The pronounced tip improves precision and manoeuvrability around bone, fat and cartilage

6. Utility knife

The utility knife sits somewhere between the chef’s knife and the paring knife at 12cm. It’s a versatile tool for home chefs which can be used for light to medium tasks, like the precise work of peeling and the slicing of larger fruits and vegetables which the paring knife isn’t good for. Some also use it for boning. It’s up to personal preference on how small of a knife you prefer as to whether you pick a paring or utility knife.

7. Boning knife

The boning knife features a curved very narrow blade which works well to remove joints and bones from meat with as little wastage possible, while also being able to do more delicate jobs like moving around in small spaces. It can be used on both fish and meat to cut finely around the joints, removing any skin, fat or sinew.

8. Steak knife

Steak knives feature a serrated edge which helps to grip and cut through the tough fibres of steak without tearing or shredding the meat. They are the perfect accompaniment for your Saturday steak night or dinner party.

9. Nakiri knife

A nakiri knife is a traditional Japanese vegetable cutting knife. The word “nakiri” comes from two Japanese words. “Na” means vegetable and “kiri” means cutting. This knife has been used in Japan for hundreds of years. Japanese cooks created it to handle their vegetable-heavy diet. The design is simple but very effective. The straight rectangular flat blade cuts straight down making full contact with the cutting board, creating a straight, precise and even cut. The height of the blade also gives more knuckle room when cutting, keeping your fingers safe and allowing you to easily scoop your vegetables into any dishes.

10. Gyuto knife

Another versatile Japanese knife. Its blade is longer with a sharper tip and curved edge, which allows for a rocking technique. The long sharp edge covers the full length of a chicken breast or meat roast in fewer strokes, reducing tearing and preserving the texture of the meat. It can also portion raw poultry. The thin blade geometry passes through dense produce such as cabbage, carrots, butternut squash without wedging or splitting. It can handle dicing onions, mincing garlic and ginger, julienning carrots, coring tomatoes with the pointed tip and scoring citrus peel.

11. Kiritsuke knife

The Kiritsuke knife is longer than most kitchen knives at 24cm. It comes from a long standing Japanese culinary tradition in which only the head chef could use the Kiritsuke knife, representing respect and the chef’s high skill level. It served as a status symbol that junior chefs had to earn the right to use. This tradition continues in many Japanese kitchens today. The knife has a unique shape, featuring a flat blade with minimal curve. The tip has a distinctive angled cut called a K tip, which helps with detail work, like scoring fish skin or trimming vegetables.

12. Sashimi knife

There are two types of sashimi knife, Tako (27cm) and Yanagi (24cm). Tako was developed in the Kanto region of Japan. It has a squared tip and is traditionally used for cutting octopus. Yanagi primarily originates in the Kansai region. Its pointed tip, which resembles a willow leaf (“Yanagi-ba,” meaning “willow blade”), creates a smooth, pristine cut and has become symbolic of sashimi preparation. The single bevel design slices delicately through sashimi without crushing the flesh, perfect for achieving beautiful, smooth cut surfaces.

13. Chopping knife

Also known as a Chinse chopper, this broad blade is slightly more curved than a nakiri knife but remains relatively flat. It can be used for chopping and dicing vegetables and meat, and the broad blade scoops ingredients into your meal. Whilst it resembles a cleaver, it isn’t designed to chop through bone as this could damage the knife.

14. Ham slicer

The long blade of the ham slicer cuts smoothly through ham and other cooked meats. Its rounded tip and fluted edge ensure easy food release for beautiful presentation.

15. BBQ knife

This knife is great for serious BBQ enthusiasts and outdoor chefs. The curved blade and pointed tip are designed for clean controlled slicing through thick cuts of meat like brisket, steaks, roasts and other BBQ meats. Its pointed tip provides precision when trimming fat, skin and connective tissue.