【Reading】ぴん

【English Name】Pin

This is one of the jargon terms (fucho) used at sushi restaurants, meaning the number "1."

The etymology is the Portuguese word "pinta," originally a word meaning "a small dot." It was introduced to Japan through trade with Portugal from the Sengoku period through the Edo period, and became established as a way of counting in dice rolls and card games. In gambling such as oicho-kabu, "pin" also refers to the roll of one, and "pinzoro" means a pair of ones.

At sushi restaurants, in order to avoid conveying prices and quantities directly in front of customers, distinctive counting methods have been used. Pin is the first number in that system, and the idiom "pin kara kiri made" is also widely used to mean "from 1 to 10," and by extension "from the very best to the very worst."

Such jargon culture both facilitates communication among chefs across the counter and represents one aspect of sushi culture that produces a stylish atmosphere. Today, with the spread of transparent pricing, the number of shops that routinely use jargon is on the decline, but it can still be heard at long-established sushi restaurants.