also: さんとくぼうちょう
santoku knife; all-purpose kitchen knife
A versatile Japanese kitchen knife suitable for cutting meat, fish, and vegetables. The name literally means 'three virtues' or 'three uses'.
The santoku knife is an all-purpose knife that can cut meat, fish, and vegetables.
I bought a new santoku knife, so I'm looking forward to cooking.
A chef's knife (gyuto) is longer and better for slicing meat, while a santoku is shorter and more versatile for home cooking.
A nakiri bocho is a Japanese vegetable knife with a straight blade, specialized for vegetables, unlike the all-purpose santoku.
Standard kanji spelling for the santoku knife.
Alternate reading with rendaku (voicing of ほうちょう to ぼうちょう). Both readings are common.
The name 三徳 (santoku) means 'three virtues' or 'three uses', referring to its versatility for meat, fish, and vegetables. The reading ほうちょう becomes ぼうちょう due to rendaku (sequential voicing) in compound words.