Types of sushi: 19 styles explained

On this page

1. How are sushi types classified?
2. All 19 sushi types at a glance
3. What is maki? (MAH-kee)
   1. Hosomaki
   2. Chumaki
   3. Futomaki
4. What is nigiri? (nee-GEE-ree)
5. What is sashimi? (sah-SHEE-mee)
6. What is temaki? (teh-MAH-kee)
7. What is uramaki? (oo-rah-MAH-kee)
8. What is chirashi? (chee-RAH-shee)
9. What is inari sushi? (ee-NAH-ree)
10. What is gunkan maki? (GOON-kahn)
11. What is oshi sushi? (OH-shee)
12. What are the most popular Western-style rolls?
13. Which type of sushi is best for beginners?
14. Can you make sushi without raw fish?
    1. Cooked fillings
    2. Vegetarian fillings
15. What equipment do you need to make sushi at home?
    1. For nigiri
    2. For uramaki
    3. For oshi sushi
16. Common allergens in sushi
17. Frequently asked questions

Most people walk into a sushi restaurant knowing two things: they like salmon, and the menu is confusing. That is normal. Sushi has more variety than any other single-dish cuisine, and the names are almost entirely in Japanese.

This page covers every type of sushi you will find on a restaurant menu or make at home. Sushi has spread to every corner of the world, but the names and styles all trace back to Japan. Each type gets a short explanation, a difficulty rating for home preparation, approximate calories, and a note on who it suits best. If you want the full recipe and technique for any individual type, the linked pages go deeper.

One thing to clear up before we start. Sushi means vinegared rice. Not raw fish. Any dish built on seasoned sushi rice counts as sushi, whether it contains raw fish, cooked prawns, vegetables, or egg. Raw fish served without rice is sashimi, which is a separate category covered below for context.

How are sushi types classified?

Sushi is classified by shape and assembly method, not by filling. A tuna roll and a cucumber roll made the same way are the same type of sushi.

There are four broad families:

Rolled sushi (makizushi) covers any sushi where rice and fillings are rolled together, usually in a sheet of nori. This family includes most sushi rolls you will find on a restaurant menu: maki, futomaki, hosomaki, temaki, and uramaki. Rolling is the technique most home sushi makers learn first.

Pressed and shaped sushi covers nigiri (hand-pressed), oshi sushi (mould-pressed), and gunkan (battleship). These require no rolling. The skill is in shaping the rice and balancing the topping.

Scattered sushi (chirashi) is a bowl of sushi rice topped with scattered ingredients. No rolling, no shaping. The easiest type to make at home.

Wrapped sushi (inari) uses a pouch of seasoned fried tofu instead of nori. The rice goes inside the pouch. Almost impossible to get wrong.

Understanding these families makes any sushi menu readable. Once you know whether something is rolled, pressed, scattered, or wrapped, the rest is just fillings. I wish someone had explained this to me in 2021 instead of letting me stare at menus for six months.

All 19 sushi types at a glance

This table covers every type you will see on a restaurant menu or make at home. Scroll down for the detailed guide on each one.

Calorie figures are estimates based on standard restaurant portions. Home-made sushi calories vary with rice quantity and filling proportions.

What is maki? (MAH-kee)

Maki is sushi rice and fillings rolled in nori seaweed, cut into 6 to 8 pieces. The most common sushi type worldwide and the first most beginners learn.

A standard maki roll uses a full or half sheet of nori, a thin layer of sushi rice, and one to three fillings arranged in a line across the centre. The whole thing is rolled using a bamboo mat, then cut into six to eight pieces. Maki was the first type I learned in 2021, and it took about three sessions before my rolls stopped falling apart. The technique originated in Edo-period Tokyo and remains the foundation of sushi making everywhere.

Common allergens: Fish (if using fish fillings), soy (soy sauce), wheat (soy sauce contains wheat), sesame (if topped).

Maki comes in three sizes based on thickness:

Hosomaki

Hosomaki is a thin roll about 2.5 centimetres in diameter, made with a half sheet of nori and a single filling. Tuna hosomaki (tekka maki) and cucumber hosomaki (kappa maki) are the two classics. Simple, clean, eaten in one bite.

Chumaki

Chumaki is a medium roll with two to three fillings. Most restaurant rolls fall into this category.

Futomaki

Futomaki is a thick roll about 5 to 6 centimetres in diameter, made with a full nori sheet and four to seven fillings. It takes practice to roll tightly because the volume of ingredients fights the nori. Futomaki gets its own page because the technique is different enough to warrant separate treatment.

Calories per 8 pieces vary by filling: tuna maki averages about 180 calories, salmon maki about 200, cucumber maki about 130. The rice accounts for most of the calories in any maki roll.

Read the full maki guide for rolling technique, filling ideas, and troubleshooting common mistakes.

What is nigiri? (nee-GEE-ree)

Nigiri is a hand-pressed mound of sushi rice topped with a single slice of fish or seafood. No nori wrapper. About 40 to 65 calories per piece.

Each piece uses about 20 to 25 grams of rice, shaped by hand into an oblong mound. The chef places a thin smear of wasabi between the rice and the topping. Nigiri in its modern form was invented by Hanaya Yohei in Tokyo in the 1820s. It was the original fast food: a small portion of vinegared rice with fresh fish, sold from street stalls along the Sumida River.

Common nigiri toppings include salmon (sake), tuna (maguro), yellowtail (hamachi), prawn (ebi), eel (unagi), squid (ika), octopus (tako), scallop (hotate), and egg omelette (tamago). The fish is typically cut to about 7 to 10 grams per slice.

Common allergens: Fish, shellfish (prawn, scallop), soy (soy sauce for dipping), wheat (soy sauce contains wheat).

Nigiri calories range from about 40 to 65 per piece depending on the topping. Two pieces of salmon nigiri come to roughly 120 calories. It is one of the lower-calorie sushi options because there is no nori, no mayo, and no fried elements.

Difficulty: Intermediate. The rice shaping takes 20 to 30 attempts before it becomes consistent. The fish cutting requires a sharp sushi knife and practice with angled slicing.

Eating tip: Turn the nigiri upside down and dip the fish side into soy sauce, not the rice side. The rice absorbs too much soy sauce and falls apart.

Read the full nigiri guide for shaping technique and topping ideas.

What is sashimi? (sah-SHEE-mee)

Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish or seafood served without rice. It is technically not sushi because sushi requires vinegared rice. We include it here because every sushi restaurant serves it, most sushi menus list it, and many people confuse the two.

Standard sashimi cuts are 5 to 7 millimetres thick for white fish and 8 to 10 millimetres for tuna. A typical serving is five to seven slices, presented on a bed of shredded daikon radish with a shiso leaf and a small mound of wasabi.

Sashimi is the purest test of fish quality. There is nothing to hide behind. No rice, no nori, no sauce. If the fish is not fresh and properly handled, you will taste it immediately.

Calories: About 30 to 50 per slice depending on the fish. A full portion of salmon sashimi (7 slices) is roughly 210 to 280 calories. The lowest-calorie option in any sushi restaurant.

Difficulty for home preparation: Intermediate to advanced. The cutting technique requires a very sharp knife and consistent angle. The fish must be sushi-grade from a trusted supplier.

Read our full guide on sashimi vs sushi for a detailed comparison.

What is temaki? (teh-MAH-kee)

Temaki is a hand roll shaped like a cone, about 15 cm long. A quarter sheet of nori gets filled with rice and 2 to 3 ingredients, then rolled by hand.

Temaki is designed to be eaten with your hands, not chopsticks. The cone shape means each bite has a different ratio of rice to filling to nori. I make temaki for every dinner party because guests roll their own and nobody needs to learn mat technique.

One important thing about temaki: eat it within two to three minutes of assembly. The nori starts softening the moment it touches the rice. After five minutes, you are holding a soggy tube instead of a crisp cone. This is why temaki works well for dinner parties where everyone assembles their own.

Calories: About 150 to 200 per cone depending on fillings.

Difficulty: Beginner. The easiest sushi to make at home because the rolling technique is forgiving. If the cone is not perfect, it still tastes the same.

Read the full temaki guide for party setup ideas and filling combinations.

What is uramaki? (oo-rah-MAH-kee)

Uramaki is an inside-out roll with rice on the outside and nori on the inside. Most Western sushi restaurant menus are dominated by uramaki rolls.

Uramaki was developed to appeal to Western diners who found the texture of nori on the outside off-putting. The California roll, dragon roll, rainbow roll, Philadelphia roll, and caterpillar roll are all uramaki.

The technique requires wrapping the bamboo mat in cling film (because the sticky rice is on the outside and will stick to everything), spreading rice on the nori, flipping it over, adding fillings, and rolling. The outside is often coated in sesame seeds or tobiko.

Calories: Higher than standard maki because uramaki tends to use more rice and often includes cream cheese, mayo, or fried elements. A California roll averages about 255 calories per 8 pieces. A dragon roll with eel and avocado hits about 340.

Difficulty: Intermediate. The flip-and-roll technique takes a few attempts to master. Cling film on the mat is not optional.

The most popular uramaki rolls each have their own pages: California roll, dragon roll, rainbow roll, Philadelphia roll, and spider roll.

What is chirashi? (chee-RAH-shee)

Chirashi means "scattered." It is a bowl of sushi rice topped with an assortment of sashimi, vegetables, and garnishes. No rolling, no shaping, no technique required beyond making good rice.

A standard chirashi bowl includes five to ten different toppings scattered over the rice: salmon, tuna, yellowtail, prawn, squid, tamago (egg omelette), cucumber, shiso leaf, pickled ginger, and sometimes ikura (salmon roe). The presentation is part of the appeal.

In Japan, chirashi is one of the most common ways to eat sushi at home. It is faster than rolling, uses up leftover fish, and feeds a crowd with minimal effort. It was the first sushi I ever made that actually looked good enough to photograph.

Calories: About 400 to 600 per bowl depending on toppings and portion size. A full chirashi bowl is a complete meal.

Difficulty: Beginner. If you can make sushi rice and slice fish, you can make chirashi. It is the best entry point for anyone intimidated by rolling.

Read the full chirashi guide for presentation tips and topping combinations.

What is inari sushi? (ee-NAH-ree)

Inari sushi is seasoned rice stuffed inside a pouch of sweet fried tofu called aburaage. No fish, no nori, no knife skills needed.

The tofu pouch is simmered in a mixture of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar until it absorbs the liquid and becomes sweet, savoury, and slightly chewy. I keep a pack of pre-made inari pouches in my kitchen for quick weeknight sushi when I do not have time to roll.

Calories: About 80 to 100 per piece. Low calorie for sushi, and naturally vegetarian (vegan if the dashi uses kombu instead of bonito).

Difficulty: Beginner. The only skill is cooking the tofu pouches, which is a simple simmer.

Read the full inari guide for the pouch recipe and filling variations.

What is gunkan maki? (GOON-kahn)

Gunkan means "battleship." It is an oval mound of rice wrapped in a strip of nori that extends about 1 centimetre above the rice, creating a wall. The open top is filled with soft or loose toppings that would fall off nigiri: tobiko (flying fish roe), ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin), natto (fermented soybeans), or finely chopped tuna.

Gunkan was invented at Ginza Kyubey in Tokyo in the 1940s to solve the problem of serving toppings that do not stay on flat rice. It bridges the gap between nigiri and maki.

Calories: About 40 to 70 per piece depending on topping.

Difficulty: Intermediate. The nori strip needs to be cut to the right height and wrapped tightly enough to hold the topping.

What is oshi sushi? (OH-shee)

Oshi sushi (also called oshizushi) is pressed sushi made in a wooden mould called an oshibako. Rice and toppings are layered, pressed, and cut into neat rectangular pieces.

It originated in Osaka and is the oldest form of formed sushi still commonly eaten. It evolved from narezushi, an ancient preservation method where fish was packed in fermented rice for months. Modern oshi sushi keeps the pressing technique but uses fresh, seasoned rice instead. The technique produces clean, geometric pieces with perfectly even layers. Oshi sushi uses cooked or cured toppings more often than raw fish because the pressing would damage delicate raw slices.

Calories: About 50 to 70 per piece.

Difficulty: Beginner with a mould. The oshibako does the shaping for you. Without a mould, it is difficult to achieve consistent results.

What are the most popular Western-style rolls?

Western-style rolls are almost all uramaki with rice on the outside. They tend to be larger, more creative, and higher in calories than Japanese sushi.

The rolls you will see on most restaurant menus outside Japan:

The California roll is the best starting point for home sushi. It uses cooked imitation crab, so there is no raw fish to source or handle.

Which type of sushi is best for beginners?

If you have never tried sushi, start with California rolls or salmon maki. Both use familiar flavours and have no challenging textures.

If you have never made sushi at home, start with chirashi. No rolling, no shaping, just rice and toppings in a bowl. From there, move to hosomaki (thin rolls with one filling), then California rolls (uramaki), then nigiri once your rice shaping improves.

This progression works for home sushi makers, based on four years of teaching friends and family:

1. Chirashi (no technique required, just good rice)
2. Temaki (hand-rolled cones, forgiving technique)
3. Hosomaki (thin rolls, one filling, simple)
4. Chumaki (standard rolls, two to three fillings)
5. Uramaki (inside-out, requires cling film technique)
6. Nigiri (hand-pressed, requires rice shaping skill)
7. Futomaki (thick rolls, hardest to keep tight)
8. Dragon/rainbow rolls (advanced topping placement)

This is roughly the order I learned them in. I spent three months on steps 1 through 3 before I could produce anything I would serve to guests. If you want the full walkthrough, our beginner's guide to sushi covers the first three steps in detail with troubleshooting.

For a ranked comparison with photographs, read best sushi types for beginners. For the full side-by-side breakdown of sushi styles, use this guide as the main reference.

Can you make sushi without raw fish?

Yes. At least half of the sushi types on this page use cooked or vegetarian fillings. You do not need raw fish to make great sushi at home.

Cooked fillings

Cooked options include prawns (boiled), eel (grilled), crab sticks (processed), tamago (egg omelette), tempura shrimp (fried), and smoked salmon.

Vegetarian fillings

Vegetarian options include cucumber, avocado, sweet potato, asparagus, shiitake mushroom, pickled daikon, tofu, and beetroot. Our full sushi ingredients guide covers sourcing and preparation for all of these.

Inari sushi is entirely vegetarian. Chirashi can be made with no fish at all. Every maki and uramaki roll can be made with cooked or vegetable fillings.

If raw fish concerns are what have kept you from trying sushi, they should not. A sushi making kit and some cooked prawns get you 90% of the experience with zero raw fish handling.

For more options, read our vegetarian and vegan sushi guide.

What equipment do you need to make sushi at home?

A bamboo rolling mat, a sharp knife, and a rice paddle. That covers maki, temaki, and chirashi. Nigiri requires only your hands and good rice technique.

For nigiri

Add nothing. Your hands are the tool. But you need good sushi rice technique because poorly seasoned rice ruins nigiri faster than any other type.

For uramaki

Add cling film to wrap the bamboo mat (or use a silicone mat).

For oshi sushi

Add an oshibako wooden mould, available for about $10 to $15 online.

A sushi making kit bundles the mat, paddle, and sometimes a knife. If you plan to make sushi more than twice, it is worth the $12 to $30 investment.

Common allergens in sushi

Sushi contains several of the 14 major allergens. If you or your guests have allergies, check fillings before ordering or serving.

Inari sushi and vegetarian rolls are fish-free but still contain soy. Gluten-free soy sauce (tamari) is available as a substitute for wheat-containing soy sauce.

Frequently asked questions

Clare Farnell has been making sushi at home since 2021 and writes about Japanese home cooking, sushi tools, and kitchen equipment at sushi-planet.com.

Last updated: 4 May 2026.