カツ
katsu
In Japanese, カツ (katsu) refers to a breaded and deep-fried meat cutlet.
The simplest and most widely used way to say "katsu" informally is カツ (katsu), which can generally refer to any breaded and deep-fried cutlet. It is frequently used in the name of カツ丼 (katsudon), a popular dish consisting of a katsu cutlet served over rice with egg and sauce.
Which one should you use?
When referring specifically to a pork cutlet, the word is often combined with 'ton' (pork) to form 豚カツ (tonkatsu). When referring to a chicken cutlet, the word is often combined with 'tori' (chicken) to form 鶏カツ (torikatsu).
How do you pronounce it?
katsu
Did you know?
- While カツ is the short version, the full word is カツレツ (katsuretsu), which is a phonetic adaptation of the English word 'cutlet'.
- In Japanese, the word カツ (katsu) is a homophone for the verb 'to win', written as 勝つ (katsu). Because of this, eating a 'katsu' meal is often considered a lucky charm for students or athletes before a big competition.
- In Japanese-style Western food, or 'yoshoku', 'katsu' is often sliced into strips before being served. This is done to make it easier to eat with chopsticks rather than a knife and fork.
Examples in context
- 私はチキンカツが大好きです。I love chicken katsu
- 今日のランチはカツです。Kyō no ranchi wa katsu desu.Today's lunch is a cutlet.
- このカツはとてもサクサクしています。Kono katsu wa totemo sakusaku shite imasu.This cutlet is very crispy.
- 豚カツを注文しましょう。Tonkatsu o chūmon shimashō.Let's order a pork cutlet.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are deciding what to eat at a restaurant.
- 蓮 Ren何を食べたい？Nani o tabetai?What do you want to eat?
- 美咲 Misaki私はカツが食べたいです。Watashi wa katsu ga tabetai desu.I want to eat a cutlet.
- 蓮 Renじゃあ、豚カツにしよう。Jā, tonkatsu ni shiyō.Then, let's go with the pork cutlet.
- 美咲 Misakiはい、楽しみです！Hai, tanoshimi desu!Yes, I'm looking forward to it!
