Translation guide
A sushi roll is a cylindrical piece of sushi made by wrapping vinegared rice and fillings in nori (seaweed) or other wrappers. The most common type is makizushi, but there are several varieties with different shapes and names.
The most common type of sushi roll, with nori on the outside, rice, and fillings like cucumber, tuna, or egg.
General term for rolled sushi. Often shortened to just 巻き (maki) in casual contexts.
One order of sushi rolls, please.
This sushi roll has a lot of fillings.
Thick sushi roll with multiple fillings, often eaten on special occasions like Setsubun.
There is a custom of eating thick sushi rolls on Setsubun.
Thin sushi roll with usually one filling, like cucumber (kappa maki) or tuna (tekka maki).
Thin sushi rolls are bite-sized and easy to eat.
A sushi roll where the rice is on the outside and nori is inside, often with sesame seeds or fish roe on the rice. Popular in Western countries.
Literally 'reverse roll'. The standard Japanese term for inside-out rolls like California roll.
California roll is a type of inside-out roll.
A specific type of inside-out roll with crab (or imitation crab), avocado, and cucumber. Very well-known in Japan as a Western-style sushi.
California rolls are popular overseas.
A cone-shaped sushi roll made by hand, often eaten at home or at casual sushi parties.
Hand-rolled sushi, often made at the table where everyone assembles their own cone-shaped rolls with nori, rice, and various fillings.
Let's have a hand-rolled sushi party tonight.
A type of sushi roll with a strip of nori wrapped around a ball of rice, topped with loose ingredients like fish roe or sea urchin.
Literally 'battleship roll'. Used for toppings that would fall off a regular nigiri, like ikura (salmon roe) or uni (sea urchin).
I love salmon roe battleship rolls.
When ordering at a sushi restaurant, you can simply say the name of the roll, e.g., 鉄火巻き (tekka maki) for tuna roll, かっぱ巻き (kappa maki) for cucumber roll. If you want to ask for a generic sushi roll, 巻き寿司 (makizushi) is understood.
The English word 'roll' can refer to bread rolls or other rolled foods. In Japanese, 巻き寿司 specifically means sushi rolls. For bread rolls, use ロールパン (roll pan) or パン (pan).