dashi

American  

[dah-shee] / ˈdɑ ʃi /

noun

1. a clear fish and kelp broth, used in Japanese cooking.

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dashi British  

/ ˈdaʃɪ /

noun

1. a clear stock made from dried fish and kelp

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Etymology

Origin of dashi

First recorded in 1945–50; from Japanese: literally, “broth,” shortening of dashi-jiru, equivalent to dashi “to draw, extract” + jiru, shiru “broth, juice”

Example Sentences

There’s also mille-feuille nabe, a Japanese hot pot dish that’s layered with napa cabbage and thin slices of pork belly simmered in dashi broth.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026

One of Whigham’s creations for the “water” element, for instance, is hamachi and seaweed with kabocha squash and tamari-shiitake dashi dressing.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2025

"The basis of almost every Japanese sauce is dashi, a stock made from seaweed," he said.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2023

To begin: daikon simmered in dashi with golden miso over the top, with the melty-soft radish’s near-sweetness balanced against the miso’s ferment; a few tiny purple shiso flowers added color and a minute spicy ping.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 22, 2022

Then, too, there are the dashi, or floats, on one of which each street in the parish spends its money and its ingenuity.

From Japanese Girls and Women Revised and Enlarged Edition by Bacon, Alice Mabel