Sushi Types Explained: 10 Types of Sushi

Sushi is a collection of Japanese dishes featuring vinegared rice and ingredients like raw fish, vegetables, and cooked elements like tamagoyaki, sweet rolled omelet. Sushi rolls come in all shapes and sizes, from large, multicolored futomaki, to simple, elegant nigiri.

In Japan, traditional sushi, like nigiri, is typically served with a dish of soy sauce and pickled ginger to cleanse the palate between bites. In most sushi restaurants, the sushi chefs will have seasoned the undersides of the fish with wasabi rather than providing it as an accompaniment.

The seafood for sushi includes raw tuna (maguro), salmon, yellowtail (hamachi), squid, or imitation crab meat. Wasabi paste, soy sauce, and pickled ginger also accompany a meal of Japanese sushi. Sushi is different from sashimi, which is thin slices of raw fish.

You can make sushi at home using sushi-grade fish, sushi rice, and vegetables. Sushi rolls can be a light appetizer or a filling dinner. Consider making the following types of sushi rolls:

1. 1. Nigiri sushi: Nigiri is a type of sushi consisting of an oblong ball of sushi rice typically topped with wasabi and a slice of raw fish. Nigiri, which is popular in Tokyo, can include raw fish, cooked shrimp (ebi), squid (ika), and eel (unagi).
2. 2. Maki sushi: Maki refers to sushi rolls with seafood, veggies, sushi rice, and other accompaniments rolled into a sheet of nori. You can make different kinds of homemade sushi rolls by changing the ingredients inside, such as using cream cheese, smoked salmon, bell pepper, and crispy shrimp tempura. You can also add sesame seeds, sesame oil, sriracha, flying fish roe (tobiko), or spicy mayo on top of the sushi roll. Maki sushi is a popular item in bento-style lunch boxes.
3. 3. Temaki rolls: Temaki, which translates to "hand rolled," is a type of sushi consisting of rice, fish, vegetables, or other fillings enclosed in a nori cone. You can make specialized rolls such as a spicy tuna roll or salmon roll. Sushi chefs also cut veggies into thin strips as a garnish for the hand roll.
4. 4. Futomaki: Futomaki, which translates to “fat rolled sushi,” is a large maki roll type. Futomaki is so popular that “futomaki” and “maki” are sometimes used interchangeably. Futomaki traditionally refers to a sushi roll containing seasoned rice and multiple fillings. After rolling the sushi with a bamboo mat, slice the futomaki crosswise into rounds with a sharp knife and serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger.
5. 5. Hosomaki: Hosomaki means “thin rolls.” This type of maki roll is thinner than a futomaki roll. Make hosomaki with a half-sheet of nori (dried seaweed), rolling it on a half-size bamboo mat, so it's more slender than a typical maki. It usually contains seasoned rice and only one or two fillings. After rolling using a bamboo mat, slice the hosomaki into rounds with a sharp knife and serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger.
6. 6. Chirashi: Chirashi translates to "scattered” in Japanese. Chirashi sushi, also called chirashizushi, is seasoned sushi rice topped with raw fish, omelets (tamago), and nori. In Japan, chirashi sushi, typically served in a bowl or lacquered box, is traditionally eaten for the annual celebration of Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day).
7. 7. Inari sushi: Inari sushi, also known as inarizushi, is a Japanese dish consisting of sushi rice stuffed inside fried tofu pouches (also known as aburaage or fried bean curd) cooked in a dashi broth–forward mixture.
8. 8. Oshizushi: Oshizushi, or pressed sushi, is a typical sushi style in the Osaka region of Japan. Oshizushi is made by pressing layers of rice and sushi toppings in a rectangular box or mold, then cutting the sushi into individual squares or rectangles that resemble small rice sandwiches. Salmon and mackerel (saba) are popular fish used in pressed sushi, which are typically served in bento boxes and given as gifts.
9. 9. Uramaki: Like maki sushi, uramaki is a roll of rice, fish, and accompaniments rolled in nori seaweed. However, uramaki rolls are made with rice rolled on the exterior rather than the nori. Uramaki often contains more toppings and fillings than maki sushi. Common types of uramaki rolls are the California roll, spider roll (containing soft-shell crab), tempura roll, and dragon roll. The rainbow roll, a popular sushi roll at sushi bars, is a California roll topped with layers of avocado and multiple fish of different colors, creating a rainbow effect.
10. 10. Gunkan maki: Gunkan maki gets its name because it resembles a mothership (gunkan). This type of sushi is made by wrapping a sheet of nori around a ball of rice so that it creates a fenced-in area above the rice that you can stuff with toppings like sea urchin (uni), prawns (amaebi), salmon roe (ikura), and scallop (hotate).

There are three distinct differences between these popular presentations of raw fish in Japanese cuisine:

1. 1. Sushi rice: The primary difference between sashimi and other dishes featuring raw fish—such as nigiri, sushi rolls like futomaki and makizushi, and nori-wrapped cones of temaki—is the presence of seasoned, short-grain sushi rice. Sushi rice is seasoned with sushi vinegar, a combination of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, which brightens and elevates the flavors of the fish.
2. 2. Complementary ingredients: Like a maki roll or temaki, many types of sushi feature a combination of ingredients rolled together in an outer layer of rice held together with a nori wrapper. While Japanese restaurants offer condiments or garnishes with sashimi, it is typically served on its own to draw attention to the distinct flavors of the ingredient. Nigiri sushi is somewhere between the two—garnishes are common on some types of fish, like hamachi, while others, like salmon, are almost always left bare.
3. 3. Utensils: You can eat sushi by hand—many of the best sushi chefs shape pieces of nigiri to be consumed in one easy bite. Similarly, sushi rolls are cut into slices meant to be consumed in one bite. On the other hand, chopsticks are the optimal utensils for eating thin sashimi slices.

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