Santoku Knife: What It Is and How to Choose
A santoku knife is a Japanese all-purpose kitchen knife with a flat edge, a rounded tip that drops down to meet it, and a blade usually 150mm to 180mm long. Santoku is often read as "three virtues": meat, fish and vegetables. It suits cooks who push-cut, moving the blade forward and down through the food.
This guide is for home cooks choosing a first Japanese knife. The santoku is the type we carry most, with 30 in our online range on 3 November 2026, in four lengths and a choice of steels. We use that range to show what each choice means, whether you are at our counter or shopping from home.
What is a santoku knife used for?
A santoku handles most daily prep in a home kitchen. The flat edge meets the board along most of its length, so each downward cut goes all the way through.
It is good at:
- Slicing onions, carrots, cucumbers and potatoes into even rounds
- Dicing and mincing onion, garlic, ginger and herbs
- Thin-slicing boneless chicken, pork, beef and fish fillets
- Scooping chopped food onto the wide blade and carrying it to the pan
A santoku's flatter edge generally suits chopping and push-cutting better than rocking. Lift the handle and move the blade forward and down through the food.
The rounded tip is less precise than a pointed one for scoring, trimming silver skin or working into tight corners. A large squash or a whole roast is easier with a longer blade. Like any thin Japanese blade, it should not cut through bone or frozen food, which can chip the edge.
Santoku vs chef knife: what is the difference?
A santoku is shorter and flatter than a chef's knife and has a rounded tip. A chef's knife, whether a Japanese gyuto or a Western one, is longer, with a pointed tip and a more curved edge.
Pick a santoku for chopping and push-cutting on a smaller board, and a chef's knife if you want reach or like to rock.
For a full side-by-side, including the Western chef's knife, read santoku vs chef knife.
Which steel should you choose for a santoku?
For lower maintenance, choose stainless steel, which resists rust but still needs washing and drying.
Steel decides two things you will notice every week: how long the edge stays sharp and how much care the blade asks for.
VG10 is one stainless option. Ginsan is another. SG2 is a very hard stainless steel made from powder. Molybdenum steel is stainless too.
Carbon steel takes a very keen edge but rusts unless you dry it straight after use. Most of our carbon steel santoku are Blue Steel #2. It suits cooks who sharpen their own knives on a whetstone, a sharpening stone.
SLD sits between the two. It is semi-stainless, so it resists rust better than carbon steel but can stain if left wet.
Stainless steels (VG10, SG2, Ginsan, molybdenum) need a wash and a dry. SLD and Blue Steel #2 ask you to dry the blade straight away, every time.
What do blade finishes mean?
The finish is the surface of the blade. It changes the look and a little of the care, and the core steel does the cutting.
- Damascus: layered steel pattern over a harder core. More on choosing one in our damascus guide.
- Kurouchi: black forge scale left on the upper blade. On our Blue Steel #2 santoku it sits over carbon steel, so dry the whole blade.
- Tsuchime: a hammered finish. Often said to help food release; the effect is small, and the look is the main reason to pick it.
- Nashiji: a textured "pear-skin" finish, on our Ginsan santoku.
- Mirror: a polished finish, also on our Ginsan santoku.
Our santoku by steel
Scroll sideways to see the whole table →
| Steel | What it means for care | In our range |
|---|---|---|
| VG10 Stainless |
Low care. Hand wash, dry. Holds an edge well; a safe first Japanese steel. Example: Cascade Santoku VG10 Damascus Wenge / Black Buffalo Horn 170mm |
12 |
| SG2 Powder stainless |
Low rust risk and long edge life. Very hard, so avoid twisting, bones and frozen food; sharpen on a whetstone. Example: Glacier Black Santoku SG2 Damascus Olive Wood 180mm |
2 |
| Ginsan (Silver #3) Stainless |
Low care. Sharpens easily on a whetstone, close to the feel of carbon steel without the rust. Example: Frost Ridge Santoku Ginsan Nashiji Olive Wood 170mm |
5 |
| Molybdenum Stainless |
Hand wash and dry straight after use. Example: Ember Santoku Molybdenum Acrystone 180mm |
1 |
| SLD Semi-stainless |
Resists rust better than carbon steel but can stain if left wet. Dry after use. Good edge life. Example: Halo 3-Layer Santoku SLD Stabilized Wood Spacer 150mm |
4 |
| Blue Steel #2 (Aogami #2) Carbon steel |
Rusts if left wet. Dry right after cutting; it will darken (patina) over time. Takes a very keen edge and keeps it. Example: Ember Santoku Blue Steel #2 Kurouchi Walnut / Black Buffalo Horn 180mm |
5 |
One more santoku is listed as Blue Steel. Its steel is V-Toku 2, a Japanese carbon steel close to Blue Steel, so it is not in the Blue Steel #2 count. The care is the same: dry it right after use.
Browse by care level in our stainless knives and carbon knives collections, and read the knife steel guide for the longer version.
No Japanese knife should go in a dishwasher, whatever the steel.
What size santoku should you buy?
Most cooks are best served by 165mm or 170mm. Go shorter for small hands or a small board, and longer if you are used to an 8-inch chef's knife.
Our santoku come in four lengths:
Scroll sideways to see the whole table →
| Length | In our range | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 150mm 5.9 in |
3 | Smaller hands, small boards, a second knife next to a gyuto. Example: Halo 3-Layer Santoku SLD Stabilized Wood Spacer 150mm |
| 165mm 6.5 in |
5 | A classic home-kitchen size; nimble and easy to control. Example: Sumi Santoku Blue Steel #2 Kurouchi Bubinga 165mm |
| 170mm 6.7 in |
16 | Our most common length; a good default if you are unsure. Example: Cascade Santoku VG10 Damascus Wenge / Black Buffalo Horn 170mm |
| 180mm 7.1 in |
6 | Larger hands and boards; closest feel to an 8-inch chef's knife. Example: Glacier Black Santoku SG2 Damascus Olive Wood 180mm |
The 30mm between the shortest and longest sounds small. In the hand it is the difference between a knife that feels like a long utility knife and one that feels like a short chef's knife. Hold both if you can.
How do you look after a santoku?
Wash and dry a santoku by hand straight after use, cut on wood or soft plastic, and keep it away from bones and frozen food.
- Hand wash with a soft sponge and dry it straight away with a towel.
- Cut on wood or soft plastic. Glass, stone and ceramic boards dull and chip the edge.
- Keep it away from bones, frozen food and hard rinds.
- Store it in a sheath, a block or on a magnetic strip, not loose in a drawer.
- Sharpen on a whetstone when it starts to slide on a tomato skin. Our guide to sharpening with traditional Japanese methods walks through it.
Santoku, gyuto, nakiri or bunka: which should be your first Japanese knife?
For most home cooks, a santoku is the easiest first Japanese knife. It covers vegetables, meat and fish in one blade, and the short length is easy to control.
The others are better when your cooking leans one way:
- Gyuto: longer reach and a pointed tip for bigger cuts. See the gyuto guide.
- Nakiri: a rectangular vegetable knife, push-cut only. See the nakiri guide.
- Bunka: close to a santoku in size, with an angled, pointed tip for finer tip work. See the bunka guide.
To see every type side by side, browse our Japanese knives collection.
Where can you try a santoku before you buy?
The fastest way to choose between 165mm and 180mm, or VG10 and Blue Steel #2, is to hold both. ZAKU Knives has four stores: our main store on Kappabashi, plus Asakusa, Harajuku (on Takeshita-dori) and Kyoto Nishiki.
All four carry santoku and offer test cutting, so you can try a knife on the board before you buy. We also engrave knives in store. Eligible visitors can shop tax-free: the consumption tax on a purchase of ¥5,000 or more (tax excluded) at one store on one day can be refunded after customs confirmation. Can I bring knives home from Japan? explains the steps. Find addresses and directions on our store locator.
Shopping from home? The full range is in our santoku collection.
Frequently asked questions
Is a santoku knife good for meat?
Yes, for boneless meat. A santoku slices chicken breast, pork and beef thinly and cleanly. It should not cut through bone or joints, because the hard, thin edge can chip; for carving a large roast, a longer gyuto or a sujihiki (a long slicer) is easier.
Can a santoku replace a chef's knife?
For most home cooking, yes. A santoku covers vegetables, boneless meat and fish. You give up some reach and the pointed tip, so if you often break down large cuts or like to rock-chop, a gyuto is the better single knife.
What size santoku is best for home use?
165mm or 170mm suits most home cooks. Choose 150mm for small hands or a small board, and 180mm if you are used to an 8-inch (about 200mm) chef's knife. 170mm is the most common length in our range.
Is a santoku single-bevel or double-bevel?
Santoku are normally double bevel, sharpened on both sides, so they work for left- and right-handed cooks. Single bevel means sharpened on one side. These knives need a different technique; see single-edged vs double-edged knives.
Do santoku knives rust?
It depends on the steel. VG10, SG2, Ginsan and molybdenum are stainless and resist rust with basic care. SLD is semi-stainless and can stain if left wet, and Blue Steel #2 is carbon steel and will rust unless you dry it straight after use.