Lists of Japanese knife shapes are long, and every shape has a job. In a Japanese home, the second knife is usually the small one in the drawer.
The petty knife does the small jobs
A petty is a small, light knife, usually 150 mm in the catalog. Next to a santoku it covers the jobs where a big blade is clumsy.
- Kazan Ginsan Nashiji Petty 150mm 150 mm Ginsan (Silver #3) HRC 61 Care: Low Chubo Knives
- Chubo Inox Petty 150mm 150 mm Stainless (other) HRC 59 Care: Low Chubo Knives
- Glestain K Series Petty 140mm 140 mm Stainless (other) HRC 59 Care: Low Chubo Knives
- Masamoto VG Petty 120mm 120 mm VG-10 HRC 59 Care: Low Chubo Knives
Picked by rule, not by payment: in stock, one knife per maker, ranked by beginner score and then by how many specs the store states. Compare all 65 petty knives →
The nakiri: a knife from the parents’ kitchen
The santoku took over the nakiri’s work, which is part of how the santoku became Japan’s household knife. A nakiri still makes sense if you cut a lot of vegetables and like its straight edge.
The deba: fading with the fishmonger’s help
If you buy whole fish and fillet them yourself, a deba is still the right tool. If not, it will mostly stay in its box.
Questions people ask
What is a petty knife used for?
Small, quick jobs: fruit, tomatoes and other small vegetables. Our editor also uses one to open packets of snacks, sausages and chikuwa (tube-shaped fish cake).
Do Japanese people still use a nakiri?
Not many. Our editor has seen one in their parents' home but rarely sees it in use now.
Do I need a deba?
Only if you fillet whole fish yourself. In Japan many older households own one, but younger families mostly have the fishmonger do it.
How we made this
Knife counts, lengths and shortlists come from our catalog: 6 stores that ship to the US and UK, checked on 23 Oct 2026. Notes from our editor, Shota Ando, come from recorded conversations, dated on each note. Text is drafted with AI from those two sources and reviewed before it is published.