A Basic Guide to the Different Types of Sushi

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Plus, learn about the most common sushi ingredients & fillings

Co-authored by Daniel Siriban and Devin McSween

Last Updated: February 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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• What is sushi?
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• Sushi Types
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• Common Sushi Ingredients
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• Sushi vs Sashimi vs Nigiri
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• Maki Roll vs Hand Roll
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• FAQs
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

While you might think of sushi as delicious rolls of rice, seafood, and vegetables, sushi is actually a type of dish that has multiple variations. Whether you need help identifying the different kinds of sushi at a restaurant or are simply curious about sushi in general, we’re here to help! In this article, we’re going over all of the different types of sushi and common sushi ingredients. Plus, we’ll explain what sushi is and how it’s different from sashimi (and where nigiri fits into the puzzle!).

The Main Types of Sushi

Sushi is a Japanese cuisine made with vinegared rice. Popular types include nigiri (seafood over rice), maki (circular roll of nori and rice), temaki (cone-shaped roll), uramaki (roll with rice on the outside), and chirashi (bowl of rice topped with seafood). Sashimi is not sushi, but simply thin slices of raw seafood.

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Section 1 of 6:

What is sushi?

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1. 
   Sushi refers to a variety of Japanese dishes made with vinegared rice. Sushi describes a type of Japanese dish that uses cooked rice (usually short-grain) that’s seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. It’s usually served with other ingredients like raw or cooked seafood and vegetables, but the vinegared rice is what makes a dish sushi.

   • There are lots of different types of sushi that are prepared in specific ways and use specific ingredients. We’ll go over them in the section below!
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Section 2 of 6:

What are the different types of sushi?

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   Nigiri (nigirizushi) Nigiri is one of the most popular types of sushi, which refers to a hand-rolled mound of sushi rice that’s typically topped with raw fish. However, it can be topped with cooked fish, other types of seafood (e.g., eel, octopus), tamago (a rolled omelette), or vegetables. It’s often garnished with wasabi or nori (a sheet of seaweed).

   • Common types of nigiri include: Sake (salmon), maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), aji (horse mackerel), unagi (eel), ebi (shrimp), tako (octopus), ika (squid), hotate (scallop), and tamago (rolled omelette).
   • Nigiri is traditionally eaten with your hands.
   • Note: “Zushi” is typically added to the end of the name of the sushi (e.g., nigirizushi, makizushi). “Zushi” and “sushi” both mean the same thing; the pronunciation is just slightly different.
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   Maki (makizushi) Maki is another popular type of sushi that describes a type of rolled sushi (maki means “to roll” in Japanese). It’s traditionally made by laying a nori sheet on a bamboo mat and layering sushi rice and ingredients (raw fish, cooked fish, seafood, vegetables) on top. The mat gets rolled up, which creates a cylindrical roll that you cut into bite-sized pieces.

   • There are several different subtypes of maki, which we’ll describe later in this section!
   • Maki is traditionally eaten with your hands, since the nori sheet on the outside keeps all of the rice and other ingredients contained. However, you can use chopsticks, too.
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   Uramaki (uramakizushi) Uramaki is another type of rolled sushi that’s the inside-out version of maki. With this type of sushi, the sushi rice is on the outside, followed by a sheet of nori and the rest of the ingredients in the center (raw or cooked fish, seafood, vegetables, etc.). It’s also traditionally made with a bamboo mat and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

   • Common types of uramaki include: California rolls (crab and avocado), Philadelphia rolls (salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber), and spicy tuna rolls (tuna and spicy mayo).
   • Uramaki is usually eaten with chopsticks.
   • Japanese personal chef Daniel Siriban says you typically place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the bamboo mat first so the rice doesn’t stick to it.
   • Uramaki is more popular outside of Japan, and was actually invented in Los Angeles, California in the 1980s. Chef Ichiro Mashita is credited with creating the California roll after he noticed Americans were more likely to order sushi if the rice was on the outside rather than the inside.
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   Temaki (temakizushi) Temaki is another type of maki that’s hand-rolled into a cone shape, rather than rolled into a tight cylinder and cut into bite-sized pieces. It’s made by laying down a sheet of nori, spreading on a layer of sushi rice, and adding toppings like fish and vegetables. Then, you use your hands to roll it into a cone so one end is closed and the other is open (kind of like an ice cream cone).

   • Temaki is made with similar fillings as maki, like tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab, and tamago.
   • Temaki is a hand-held food that you use your hands to eat.
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   Chirashi (chirashizushi) Chirashi is like a deconstructed version of a sushi roll (chirashi means “scattered” in Japanese). It typically comes in a bowl, where a bed of sushi rice is topped with a variety of ingredients like raw or cooked seafood (fish, crab, squid, etc.), vegetables, and tamago. It often comes with garnishes like roe and sprigs of leafy greens.

   • Common types of chirashi include: Edomae (Tokyo style: raw and cooked seafood, tamago, lotus roots), Bara (small pieces of raw seafood), and Gomoku (Osaka style: cooked seafood, bamboo shoots, lotus roots, mushrooms).
   • Chirashi is traditionally eaten with chopsticks.
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   Gunkan maki Gunkan maki is a special type of maki that has a boat-like shape (gunkan means “battleship” or “war-boat” in Japanese). The taller, more oval shape helps contain ingredients that don’t stick to rice as well, like roe, crab, and sea urchin. They’re made by hand-shaping sushi rice into a long oval, wrapping a pre-cut strip of nori around the rice, and then placing the topping on the rice.

   • Common types of gunkan maki include: Ikura (salmon roe), tobiko (flying fish roe), masago (capelin roe), uni (sea urchin), and negitoro (minced raw tuna with green onion).
   • You typically eat gunkan maki with chopsticks.
   • Gunkan maki is a newer form of sushi that was created in the 1940s.
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   Hakozushi or oshizushi Hakozushi or oshizushi (aka box or pressed sushi) is made in rectangular box molds. You add the rice to the mold and layer other ingredients on top (raw or cooked seafood, vegetables, etc.). Then, you press the top of the mold into the ingredients to compact them down. You then remove the sushi from the mold and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

   • Hakozushi/oshizushi is made with common fillings like fish (tuna, salmon, mackerel), shrimp, crab, octopus, and eel.
   • You typically eat hakozushi/oshizushi with chopsticks.
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   Futomaki Futomaki is simply a larger, more stuffed version of a regular maki roll (futo literally translates to “thick” or “fat”). It’s made with the same process as maki: you lay a nori sheet on a bamboo mat, add a layer of sushi rice, top it with ingredients, roll it up, and cut it into pieces. However, you typically add a larger amount and variety of ingredients.

   • For instance, common fillings include various types of fish (tuna, salmon), seafood (crab, eel), vegetables (cucumber, mushrooms), and avocado.
   • You typically eat futomaki with chopsticks.
   • Ehomaki is a special type of futomaki that’s left uncut. So, it’s simply a long, thick roll of sushi. It’s traditionally eaten on Setsubun, which celebrates the arrival of spring. It’s typically held on February 3 or 4.
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   Hosomaki Hosomaki is a thin, single-ingredient version of regular maki (hoso translates to “thin” or “narrow” in Japanese). It’s made the same way as maki, or by rolling a sheet of nori with sushi rice and a single ingredient inside, and then cutting the roll into bite-sized pieces.

   • Common types of hosomaki include: Kappamaki (cucumber), tekkamaki (raw tuna), and shinkomaki (pickled radish or daikon).
   • Hosomaki can also be made with common fillings like tamago, crab, and avocado.
   • You typically eat hosomaki with chopsticks.
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    Temari (temarizushi) Temari sushi is a bite-sized ball of sushi rice that is typically topped with 1 ingredient, like raw or cooked seafood or vegetables. It’s made by placing a piece of plastic wrap on a table, adding the topping, and placing a small ball of rice on top. Then, gather the plastic wrap and shape the sushi into a neat sphere.

    • Common toppings include various types of fish (tuna, salmon), seafood (scallops, shrimp), vegetables (cucumber, mushrooms), and tamago.
    • You typically eat temari with chopsticks.
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    Inari (inarizushi) Inari is a unique type of tofu sushi. It’s made out of thin, small pieces of tofu that are fried and cut open to create barrel-shaped pouches (called aburaage). Then, you simply stuff the tofu skin pocket with sushi rice.

    • Inari is traditionally just filled with sushi rice. However, you can top them with other ingredients like sesame seeds, crab, salmon, roe, or shrimp.
    • Inari is a snacky, finger-food type of sushi, so it’s usually eaten with your hands.
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    Narezushi Narezushi most closely resembles the earliest type of sushi. It’s fish that’s preserved and fermented with raw rice and salt. You typically only eat the fish, though, and discard the rice and salt. Then, you cut the fish up into bite-sized pieces.

    • Narezushi is typically made with round crucian carp, yellowtail, mackerel, and ayu sweetfish.
    • You traditionally eat narezushi with chopsticks.
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Section 3 of 6:

Common Sushi Toppings and Ingredients

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   Fish Fish is one of the most common ingredients used in all different types of sushi, from nigiri to chirashi. It’s often served raw (which comes from a special “sushi-grade” cut), but it can be seared or fully cooked. Here are some of the most popular types of fish:

   • Maguro: Tuna (traditionally bluefin)
     • There are 3 different cuts of tuna: akami (lean cut), chutoro (medium fat), and otoro (fatty).
   • Sake: Salmon
   • Hamachi: Young yellowtail
   • Buri: Adult yellowtail
   • Aji: Horse mackerel
   • Saba: Blue mackerel
   • Tai: Red seabream
   • Hirame: Halibut
   • Unagi: Eel
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   Seafood Various types of seafood are popular in Japanese cuisine, and also make their way into the different types of sushi. Like fish, the seafood used in sushi can be served raw or cooked. Below are some of the most popular types of seafood:

   • Ebi: Shrimp
   • Hotate: Scallop
   • Ika: Squid
   • Tako: Octopus
   • Uni: Sea urchin
   • Tarabagani: King crab
   • Hokkigai: Surf clam
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   Vegetables and eggs It’s common to use vegetables as a primary sushi ingredient, or to combine vegetables with fish or seafood (like in maki). Various types of eggs are also popular ingredients and garnishes. Here are some of the most common ones:

   • Cucumber
   • Avocado
   • Shiitake mushroom
   • Daikon (radish)
   • Kanpyo (gourd)
   • Tamago (omelette)
   • Ikura (salmon eggs)
   • Tobiko (flying fish eggs)
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Section 4 of 6:

What’s the difference between sushi, sashimi, and nigiri?

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1. 
   Sashimi doesn’t include rice, so it’s not sushi; nigiri is a type of sushi. Sashimi is a Japanese dish that consists of thin cuts of raw fish, raw seafood, or raw meat. It isn’t served with sushi rice, so sashimi is not a type of sushi. As mentioned, sushi just refers to a type of cuisine that uses vinegared rice. Nigiri is a type of sushi that consists of a mound of sushi rice with a piece of raw or cooked seafood draped on top.

   • While sashimi is often served at sushi restaurants, sashimi and sushi are two separate cuisines.
   • Sushi is an umbrella term that describes any dish that uses special vinegared rice. Nigiri is just one type of sushi.
   • Sashimi only uses raw seafood or meat, while sushi and nigiri use raw and cooked seafood.
   • You eat sashimi with chopsticks, as well as most types of sushi. However, some forms of sushi (like nigiri and temaki) are acceptable to eat with your hands.

Section 5 of 6:

What’s the difference between maki and a hand roll (temaki)?

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1. 
   Maki is a circular-shaped sushi roll, while temaki is a cone-shaped sushi roll. Maki is what you think of when you hear “sushi roll”: it’s a bite-sized, circular shape that consists of sushi rice and seafood or vegetables wrapped in nori. On the other hand, temaki (hand-roll) is a cone-shaped roll. The nori forms the cone, with the rice and seafood or vegetables rolled up inside.

   • Maki and temaki are also prepared differently:
     • Maki is traditionally made with a bamboo mat, which gives the sushi a tidy and compact appearance. The roll is then cut into several bite-sized pieces.
     • Temaki is made by hand. You spread the ingredients onto the nori sheet and roll it into a cone.
   • Maki and temaki are both traditionally eaten with your hands.
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Section 6 of 6:

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. 1
   What are the origins of sushi? Sushi got its start in Southeast Asia around the 3rd century (CE). It began as fermented fish preserved in rice and salt, though the rice wasn’t eaten with the fish. Around the 9th century, people in Japan started to eat the fish with the rice and called it narezushi. The process developed over the centuries, and starting in the 1700s, sushi makers began to layer cooked, vinegared rice with fermented fish and cut it into pieces.

   • Hanaya Yohei is credited with modernizing sushi in the 1820s. He ran a sushi stall, where he hand-pressed the vinegared rice into a ball and layered a thin slice of raw fish on top.
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   What does sushi mean? Sushi roughly translates to “sour-tasting,” “it’s sour,” or “sour rice” in Japanese. This refers to sushi’s origins, where fish was fermented and preserved by covering it in rice and salt.
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   Is sushi healthy? Yes, sushi is generally considered a healthy food. Most types of sushi are a well-rounded source of nutrients: they typically contain protein (seafood), healthy fats and omega-3s (fish), carbs (rice), fiber (veggies, avocado), and antioxidants (seaweed).

   • Sushi can become less healthy, though, if the ingredients are fried or if you eat it with lots of sauces.
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   What’s the most popular type of sushi in Japan? Nigiri tends to be the most popular type of sushi in Japan, though simple maki rolls are pretty common, too. The most popular toppings and ingredients tend to be tuna, salmon, eel, shrimp, and tamago (omelette).

   • When you’re served multiple types of sushi in Japan, Chef Siriban says you typically start with tuna. Then, you move on to salmon and whitefish, any crustaceans, and any other seafood after that.
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