hibachi

American  

[hi-bah-chee] / hɪˈbɑ tʃi /

noun

1. a small Japanese-style charcoal brazier covered with a grill, usually used for outdoor cooking.

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hibachi British  

/ hɪˈbɑːtʃɪ /

noun

1. a portable brazier for heating and cooking food

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Etymology

Origin of hibachi

1860–65; < Japanese, equivalent to hi fire (earlier fi ( y ) < *poi ) +- bachi combining form of hachi pot, earlier fati < Middle Chinese, akin to Chinese bō monk's bowl; perhaps < Pali patta < Sanskrit pā́tra drinking vessel

Explanation

A hibachi is a small, portable charcoal grill. You might bring a hibachi to a beachside cookout, along with some skewered meat and vegetables to cook on it. Hibachi means "firepot" or "fire bowl" in Japanese, and in Japan it mainly refers to a small, charcoal-fired heater. For English speakers, a hibachi is used for cooking small amounts of food outdoors. The hibachis in Western restaurants are electric, but the kind a home cook uses is made from cast iron and has open grates over hot coals — and a Japanese speaker would call it a shichirin.

Example Sentences

There he is, proving his virtuosity by limiting his tools, playing nothing but a hi-hat in the manner of a hibachi chef.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024

He left it Friday after he ran out of fuel for the hibachi grill he was using to heat the place, he said.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2024

On “the beach”—an open stretch of snow between the parking lot and the lifts—skiers cavorted over pony kegs and hibachi grills.

From Slate • Dec. 20, 2023

Think of hibachi: there's a performative energy necessary in order to make it a celebratory situation.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2023

But from his seat across the hibachi, Danny Moses watched and wondered about the man Lippmann had so carefully seated next to Eisman.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis