teriyaki

American  

[ter-uh-yah-kee] / ˌtɛr əˈjɑ ki /

noun

Japanese Cooking.

1. a dish of grilled slices of beef, chicken, or fish that have been marinated in soy sauce seasoned with sake, ginger, and sugar.

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adjective

1. prepared in this manner.

   chicken teriyaki.

teriyaki British  

/ ˌtɛrɪˈjækɪ /

adjective

1. basted with soy sauce and rice wine and broiled over an open fire

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noun

1. a dish prepared in this way

Etymology

Origin of teriyaki

1960–65; < Japanese, equivalent to teri glaze + yaki broil

Explanation

Teriyaki is a Japanese dish of meat or seafood glazed in a savory sauce and cooked on a grill. You can find chicken or beef teriyaki on the menu at many Chinese and Korean restaurants too. In the West, teriyaki is often made with a thick, sweet marinade, and you can even buy teriyaki sauce to pour on meat, fish, vegetables, or rice. In Japan, the dish usually consists of meat or fish basted with a thinner mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, and sake, and grilled. The word teriyaki comes from teri, “to shine,” and yaki, "to grill.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

teriyaki

She’s also got a rotation of slow cooker meals like lasagna and chicken teriyaki that make for hot, low-effort dinners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

I like teriyaki food and hibachi places, so I’d either order from a place called Blazed N Glazed or Teriyaki Madness, or this place on campus called Hibachi Papi.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

Specific meal options include tomato basil soup with pasta, teriyaki rice, chicken flavored noodle soup, crunchy granola, vanilla pudding and more.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2024

You can get snacky items like bao and shrimp dumplings or full meals like chicken teriyaki or fried rice.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2024

Then, as if none of this was a big deal, Becca turned back to her conversation—a ditzy discussion about music in space—and I turned back to my salmon teriyaki.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds