Yakitori Menu Names: Tare or Shio, Cuts and How to Count Skewers

A yakitori menu is a list of chicken parts, each grilled on a skewer, and the first question staff ask is Tare to shio, dochira ni nasaimasu ka: sweet soy glaze or salt? Learn about ten part names and the counter hon (本), and you can order anything on the board.

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Yakitori Menu Names: Tare or Shio, Cuts and How to Count Skewers

Yakitori (焼き鳥) means grilled chicken, and a yakitori shop grills nearly every part of the bird. The menu is short words in kana, often with no pictures, so knowing the names is the whole game. This guide starts with the tare or shio choice, because you will be asked it within a moment of ordering. Then it lists the cuts, from the safe ones, momo and negima, to the adventurous ones, hatsu and bonjiri. After that come the counter for skewers, the full exchange in order, the assortment called moriawase, and the much-debated question of whether to slide the meat off the skewer to share.

Tare is a sweet soy glaze and shio is salt; choose one for each kind of skewer, or leave it to the cook.

Momo is thigh, negima is chicken with leek, tsukune is a meatball and kawa is skin.

Skewers are counted with hon: ippon, nihon, sanbon.

Moriawase or omakase gohon gets you a mixed plate without choosing.

The first question: tare or shio?

Almost every skewer can be seasoned two ways. Tare (たれ) is a glaze of soy sauce, mirin and sugar that caramelises over the charcoal. Shio (塩) is just salt, which lets you taste the chicken itself. After you order, staff ask which you want, and you can answer differently for each cut.

Four picture cards: a pot of sweet glaze, a salt shaker, a chicken and leek skewer, and two fingers for two skewers.
Seasoning, a cut and a number: the three parts of every yakitori order.
JapaneseRomajiMeaning
たれTareSweet soy glaze
塩ShioSalt
ねぎまNegimaChicken and leek skewer
2本NihonTwo skewers
たれと塩、どちらになさいますか。Tare to shio, dochira ni nasaimasu ka.Staff: Glaze or salt?
塩でお願いします。Shio de onegai shimasu.You: Salt, please.
おすすめでお願いします。Osusume de onegai shimasu.You: Whichever you recommend.

The cuts on the menu

Names are usually written in hiragana or katakana. The first four below are on every menu; the rest are where the fun starts.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
ももMomoThigh
つくねTsukuneChicken meatball
皮KawaSkin
ささみSasamiLean breast tenderloin
手羽先TebasakiWing
砂肝SunagimoGizzard
レバーRebāLiver
ハツHatsuHeart
ぼんじりBonjiriTail
なんこつNankotsuCartilage

Momo is juicy and familiar. Tsukune is often served with tare and sometimes an egg yolk for dipping. Sasami is very lean and commonly topped with wasabi or pickled plum. Sunagimo and nankotsu are crunchy, bonjiri is rich and fatty, and hatsu is firm and mild. Most shops also grill vegetables such as shiitake and shishitō peppers.

Counting skewers with hon

Skewers are long and thin, so they take the counter hon (本). Its first sound shifts with the number: pon after one, six, eight and ten, bon after three.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
1本IpponOne skewer
3本SanbonThree skewers
4本YonhonFour skewers
6本RopponSix skewers
ももとねぎまを2本ずつください。Momo to negima o nihon zutsu kudasai.Two each of thigh and chicken with leek, please.

The exchange in order

At a yakitori shop, as at any izakaya, drinks are ordered first and food second. Skewers are grilled to order and arrive a few at a time, so it is normal to order in two or three rounds.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
お飲み物からお伺いします。Onomimono kara oukagai shimasu.Staff: May I take your drinks first?
生ビールを二つお願いします。Nama bīru o futatsu onegai shimasu.You: Two draft beers, please.
つくねと皮を1本ずつください。Tsukune to kawa o ippon zutsu kudasai.You: One each of meatball and skin, please.
ももは塩、ねぎまはたれでお願いします。Momo wa shio, negima wa tare de onegai shimasu.You: Thigh with salt, chicken and leek with glaze, please.
少々お時間をいただきます。Shōshō ojikan o itadakimasu.Staff: It will take a little while.
はい、大丈夫です。Hai, daijōbu desu.You: That is fine.

The wa in Momo wa shio, negima wa tare marks a contrast: as for the thigh, salt; as for the negima, glaze. It is the neatest way to give two different answers in one sentence.

Moriawase and omakase: when you cannot choose

If the list is too long, let the shop decide. Moriawase (盛り合わせ) is an assortment plate. Omakase gohon (おまかせ5本) is five skewers of the cook's choice, and menus offer other numbers too. Because the cook chooses, you will usually be asked about dislikes first.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
盛り合わせMoriawaseAssorted skewers
おまかせ5本をお願いします。Omakase gohon o onegai shimasu.Five skewers of the cook's choice, please.
苦手なものはありますか。Nigate na mono wa arimasu ka.Staff: Is there anything you do not eat?
レバーが苦手です。Rebā ga nigate desu.You: I am not keen on liver.
特にありません。Toku ni arimasen.You: Nothing in particular.

On the table: shichimi and the skewer cup

Two things on the table are for you. Shichimi (七味) is a blend of chili and other spices; shake a little onto tare skewers or onto the edge of your plate. The tall cup or bamboo tube is a kushi-ire (串入れ), where finished skewers go. Kushi (串) is the skewer itself, a word you will also see in kushiyaki and kushikatsu.

Sharing: off the skewer or not?

Japanese diners genuinely disagree about this. Sliding the pieces off with chopsticks lets four people taste one skewer, and many groups do it automatically. Others, including some cooks, feel the meat cools and dries, and that a skewer is meant to be eaten as it was grilled. Neither side is wrong, so ask before you act.

JapaneseRomajiMeaning
串から外してもいいですか。Kushi kara hazushite mo ii desu ka.May I take it off the skewer?
一人1本ずつ頼みましょう。Hitori ippon zutsu tanomimashō.Let us order one skewer each.
このまま食べましょう。Kono mama tabemashō.Let us eat it as it is.
Key points

A practical way to improve

Start with the counter, because the sound changes are where learners stumble: say ippon, nihon, sanbon, yonhon, gohon, roppon until the p, h and b fall in the right places. Then build full orders by swapping cuts into one frame: Momo to negima o nihon zutsu kudasai. Finally, practise the reply to the tare or shio question at speed: Momo wa shio, negima wa tare de onegai shimasu. On Unihongo, the First Round at an Izakaya mission is a natural place to rehearse this kind of ordering aloud, and you can also ask the AI Sensei to play the cook at a yakitori counter. Check the session report afterwards for corrections to your counters and particles.

  1. 1

    Choose one clear goal

    Focus each session on a situation or skill you can actually use.

  2. 2

    Practice actively

    Say complete answers aloud instead of only reading or recognizing Japanese.

  3. 3

    Review and repeat

    Keep useful corrections and revisit the same skill until it feels natural.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose tare or shio for yakitori?

Either is correct. As a rough guide, salt suits lean and crunchy cuts such as sasami, sunagimo and nankotsu, while tare suits tsukune and liver. If you are unsure, say Osusume de onegai shimasu and the cook will choose for each skewer.

What is negima?

Negima (ねぎま) is pieces of chicken alternating with pieces of leek, negi, on one skewer. It is one of the standard orders at any yakitori shop and a good first choice.

How do you count yakitori skewers in Japanese?

Use the counter hon (本), which counts long thin things. One is ippon, two is nihon, three is sanbon, four is yonhon and five is gohon. To order the same number of several kinds, add zutsu: nihon zutsu, two of each.

What does omakase gohon mean?

It means five skewers chosen by the cook. Omakase is leaving the choice to the shop and gohon is five skewers. A similar menu item is moriawase, an assortment. Staff may ask whether there is anything you cannot eat.

Is it rude to take yakitori off the skewer?

Opinions differ. Some people slide the meat off so that a group can share; some cooks and diners feel it lets the juices and heat escape and prefer you to eat from the skewer. The safe course is to ask the table first, or to order one skewer per person.

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