In Japanese cuisine, sushi (寿司, 鮨, or 鮓^?) is vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish. In spelling sushi its first letter s is replaced with z when a prefix is attached, as in nigirizushi, due to consonant mutation called rendaku in Japanese.

Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as distinct from sushi. Combined with hand-formed clumps of rice, it is called nigirizushi (にぎり). Sushi served rolled inside or around nori, dried and pressed layer sheets of seaweed or algae) is makizushi (巻き). Toppings stuffed into a small pouch of fried tofu is inarizushi. Toppings served scattered over a bowl of sushi rice is called chirashi-zushi (ちらし).