sushi

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A Japanese food made from small portions of cooked rice seasoned with vinegar, topped or filled with raw fish, egg or vegetables.

   Grammar: Uncountable: we ate sushi. For single pieces, say a piece of sushi.

   Patterns

   • a piece of sushi
   • a plate of sushi
   • sushi roll

   We ordered a big plate of sushi for the whole table.

   He learned to make sushi from a chef in Tokyo.

   My daughter will only eat sushi that has cucumber inside.

2. 2noununcountableinformal

   A restaurant or meal centered on this food, as in going out for sushi.

   Grammar: Informal use as a meal: let's get sushi tonight.

   Patterns

   • go out for sushi
   • get sushi

   Let's get sushi after the movie.

   We go out for sushi every Friday.

   She suggested sushi for lunch because it is quick and light.

Common combinations

sushi roll

The sushi roll came wrapped in seaweed and sesame seeds.

sushi chef

The sushi chef sliced the fish with a long thin knife.

sushi restaurant

A new sushi restaurant opened beside the station.

sushi rice

Sushi rice should be sticky enough to hold its shape.

order sushi

We decided to order sushi for dinner.

Synonyms and how they differ

maki

Maki is one specific kind of sushi, rolled in seaweed, while sushi covers all the styles.

nigiri

Nigiri is a type of sushi with a slice of fish on a small mound of rice, so it is narrower than sushi.

sashimi

Sashimi is slices of raw fish served without rice, so it is related to but not the same as sushi.

Word family

sushi bar noun

a restaurant or counter where sushi is made and served

sushi-grade adjective

describes fish fresh enough to eat raw

sushi roll noun

rice and filling rolled in seaweed and cut into pieces

Commonly confused: sushi or sashimi? sushi or suchi?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sushi”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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