【Reading】ぎゅうとう

【English Name】Gyuto / Chef's Knife

The gyuto is a type of knife of Western origin, prized for its high versatility in handling virtually any ingredient. Although its name contains the character for "cow" (gyu), it is widely used not only for meat but also for preparing vegetables and seafood.

Japanese knives are broadly divided into Western-style (yo-bocho) and Japanese-style (wa-bocho), and the gyuto is a representative Western-style knife. Compared with the santoku, it has a longer blade tip and a narrower blade width, giving it a structure that lets the edge enter sinewy ingredients more easily.

For home use, a blade length of around 15–20 cm is common, while in professional kitchens 20–30 cm is standard. Europe has large models reaching 36 cm, and some chefs favor knives with blades nearly 40 cm long.

The shape is broadly divided into two types: German and French. The German type has a distinctive bolster (tsuba) and is thin and light. The French type, by contrast, has a slightly thicker, more rounded blade.

Recently, more people in Japan have come to pick up a gyuto with the same casual feel as a santoku, and the line between the two is becoming blurred. In the sushi kitchen, the gyuto can be useful for breaking down large fish or dividing blocks of meat. Note that a gyuto with a shortened blade is called a "petty knife" in Japan, but in the West there is only a division by size; originally no such distinction in name existed there.