Translation guide
Describes meat with a high fat content, often prized for flavor and texture. Japanese has specific terms for different types of fatty meat, especially in pork and beef, and the concept is central to dishes like yakiniku and shabu-shabu.
The most common fatty meat in Japanese cooking, used in many dishes.
Pork belly, the most common fatty cut. Used in everything from stir-fries to hot pots. Literally 'pork belly'.
I love braised pork belly.
Literally 'three-layer meat', referring to the alternating layers of fat and lean in pork belly. Common in Okinawan and other regional cuisines.
Rafute made with three-layer pork is an Okinawan specialty.
Highly marbled beef, prized in Japanese cuisine, especially for yakiniku and sukiyaki.
Refers to finely marbled beef, literally 'frost-fall'. Used for high-quality wagyu. Can be used as a noun or adjective (霜降り肉).
This marbled beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Generic term for fatty part of meat, often used for visible fat on beef or pork. Can be used for any meat.
Korean-derived term for beef short ribs, typically very fatty and popular in yakiniku. Often used for the cut itself.
The prized fatty belly cut of tuna, used in sushi and sashimi.
Generic term for fatty tuna belly. Includes subtypes like 大トロ (very fatty) and 中トロ (medium fatty). Essential sushi term.
Three pieces of fatty tuna nigiri, please.
The fattiest part of the tuna belly, very rich and buttery. More specific than トロ.
Otoro melts in your mouth.
Describing meat that is fatty, without specifying the type.
Literally 'meat with a lot of fat'. A straightforward, neutral description.
I'm concerned about cholesterol with fatty meat.
Means 'greasy meat' or 'fatty meat', often with a slightly negative connotation of being too oily or heavy.
This meat is so fatty I can't eat much of it.
霜降り (shimofuri) specifically refers to fine marbling within the muscle, a desirable trait in high-quality beef. 脂身 (aburami) is a more general term for any visible fat, which can be positive or negative depending on context.
If you want fatty beef at a yakiniku restaurant, ask for カルビ (karubi) or ロース (roosu, loin). For pork, 豚バラ (buta bara) is the standard fatty cut.
脂身が多い肉は苦手です。
I don't like meat with a lot of fat.
At yakiniku, I like kalbi (short ribs) the best.