Japanese Petty Knives

Petty knife specifications

Petty knife facts

We stock 67 petty knives, from $98.95 to $989.95, mostly in the 120 to 150 mm range. The petty is a second knife that handles everything too small or fiddly for a chef knife, and the thin, hard Japanese steel keeps it precise. Keep it off bone and frozen food and dry it after use.

How to use a petty knife

A petty knife works both on the board and in the hand. On the board, use it like a small chef knife for slicing shallots, herbs and small vegetables; in the hand, use it for peeling, coring and trimming where a big blade is clumsy. Let the tip do the fine cutting, keep it off bone, and touch up the edge on a whetstone.

Petty knives in stock

Tojiro DP3 150mm F-802 — $98.95
Sakai Takayuki INOX Stainless 150mm with Western Handle — $99.95
Hatsukokoro Hayabusa VG5 Western Handle 120/150 mm Red Micarta Handle — $119.95
Hatsukokoro VG-5 Hayabusa Western Handle 120mm/150mm — $119.95
Hatsukokoro Hayabusa VG5 Migaki 120mm — $139.95
Tsunehisa Ginsan Nashiji 135mm Ebony Handle — $169.95
Hatsukokoro Hayabusa SG2 Migaki 120mm — $178.99
Sakai Takayuki VG10 33 Layer Damascus 150mm — $179.95
Tanaka Blue 2 Kurouchi Tsuchime Stainless Clad 120mm — $189.95
Mcusta Zanmai Hybrid VG10 150mm — $189.95
Hatsukokoro Aosagi Blue 2 Kurouchi 150mm Black Chacate — $189.95
Hatsukokoro Komorebi Blue 1 Damascus 150mm B Grade SP2 with Magnetic guard — $199.00
Hatsukokoro Komorebi Blue 1 Damascus 150mm B Grade SP1 with Magnetic guard — $199.00
Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef SP 150mm — $209.95
Anryu Aogami Super Tsuchime Kurouchi 120mm Stainless Clad — $209.95
Yoshimi Kato Aogami Super Kurouchi 120mm — $220.99
Anryu Aogami Super Tsuchime Kurouchi 150mm Stainless Clad — $229.95
Hatsukokoro Kurokaze White 2 Kurouchi 165mm Stainless Clad — $229.95
Nigara SG2 Kurouchi Tsuchime 120mm — $237.99
Hatsukokoro Hayabusa Blue 2 Rainbow Rainbow Damascus 150mm — $237.99
Yoshimi Kato Aogami (Blue) Super Kurouchi Damscus 150 mm — $254.99
Hatsukokoro Hayabusa SG2 150mm Micarta Western Handle — $259.95
Kurosaki Senko Ei SG2 K-tip 130mm Ebony — $269.95
Hatsukokoro Hayabusa HAP-40 Damascus 150mm with Western Handle — $269.95
Hatsukokoro Sunaarashi VG10 Kurozome K-Tip 150mm with Teak Wood Handle — $279.00
Ono Suzukaze SG2 Tsuchime Damascus 150mm — $279.95
Kurosaki Fujin SG2 120mm — $286.00
Yoshimi Kato SG2 Minamo 120/150 mm — $289.95
Yoshimi Kato SG2 Suminagashi 120mm — $289.95
Shibata Koutetsu SG2 K-tip 80mm — $299.95
Kurosaki Senko Ei SG2 K-tip 150mm Ebony — $299.95
Hatsukokoro ZDP-189 Migaki 150mm — $299.95
Kurosaki VG XEOS Gekko 130/150 mm — $309.95
Kurosaki Fujin SG2 150mm — $315.00
Nakagawa Blue 1 Wide Bevel Kasumi 150mm Ebony Handle — $319.95
Kurosaki VG XEOS Gekko 130mm Ebony Handle — $319.95
Makato Kurosaki Samidorizuki SGStrix 135mm — $339.95
Kurosaki VG XEOS Gekko 150mm Ebony Handle — $339.95
Shibata Koutetsu SG2 K-tip 150mm — $339.95
Nigara SG2 Kurouchi Tsuchime 150mm — $349.95
Kurosaki VG XEOS Gekko 130mm - Turquoise Ring — $349.95
Hatsukokoro Hinotori V-Toku 2 150mm Rainbow Damascus Finish — $359.95
Yoshimi Kato SG2 Mirror Damascus 150mm Ebony Handle — $369.95
Hatsukokoro x Yoshikane SKD Nashiji 150mm Ebony Handle — $379.00
Tetsujin Blue 2 Kasumi 165mm Ebony Handle — $379.95
Tetsujin Ginsan Ukiba 165mm Ebony Handle — $389.95
Takeshi Saji SG2 Diamond Damascus 130mm — $399.00
Masakage Koishi AS 120mm, Aogami Super Kurouchi Tsuchime K&S Hearted-shaped Iron — $399.95
Tetsujin Blue 2 Kasumi K-tip 165mm — $399.95
Hatsukokoro Komorebi Blue 1 Damascus 165mm — $399.95
Nakagawa Ginsan 165mm Mirror Polished — $399.95
Yoshikane White 2 Nashiji 150mm — $419.95
Takeshi Saji VG10 Rainbow Damascus Etched Paring 90mm — $429.95
Takeshi Saji SG2 Black Damascus Paring 90mm — $439.95
EOFY2025 SPECIAL: Saji VG10 Rainbow Damascus 130mm with Cosmic Swirl Handle — $439.95
Takeshi Saji SG2 Black Damascus 150mm — $469.95
Sukenari ZDP189 Damascus 165mm — $484.99
Nigara Anmon SG2 Damascus K-tip 150mm — $499.95
Takeshi Saji SG2 Black Damascus 150mm Heart-shaped Ironwood Handle — $499.95
Nigara SG2 Kurouchi 150mm Tsuchime Western Ironwood with Saya — $501.99
Sukenari VG XEOS Damascus K-tip 210mm — $529.95
Takeshi Saji SG2 Black Damascus 130mm Ironwood — $539.00
Hatsukokoro x Nigara Yorokobi SLD Copper Tsuchime Damascus 150mm with Saya — $659.95
Yoshimi Kato SG2 Minamo 150mm Mother-of-pearl Handle — $669.95
Hatsukokoro Itadaki Blue2 & White2 Dual Core Damasccus Tsushime 150mm with Saya — $722.99
Nigara Anmon (暗紋) SG2 Raindrop Damascus K tip 150mm Mother-of-Pearl Inlay Handle — $759.95
Tanaka R2 Black Damascus Ironwood 150mm — $989.95

Petty knife questions

What is a petty knife?

It is a Japanese utility knife sized between a paring knife and a chef knife, usually 120 to 150 mm. It handles small, detailed jobs like peeling, trimming and slicing shallots or herbs.

What is the difference between a paring knife and a petty knife?

A paring blade is short and used mostly in the hand for peeling; a petty is longer and works both in the hand and on the board, so it covers paring tasks plus the light slicing a paring knife is too small for.

Why is it called a petty knife?

Petty comes from the French "petit", meaning small. In English it is often called a utility knife, and in Japanese kitchens it is the everyday second knife alongside the gyuto or santoku.

Is a petty knife worth it?

For most cooks, yes. It fills the gap between a paring knife and a chef knife and handles the fiddly jobs neither does well, which makes it one of the most-used knives in the kitchen.

Related Japanese knife ranges

Related ranges: paring knives, Japanese gyuto knives, the santoku and sharpening stones. For more, read petty vs paring knives.