bonito

American  

[buh-nee-toh] / bəˈni toʊ /

noun

bonito, plural bonitos plural

1. any mackerel-like fish of the genus Sarda, as S. sarda, of the Atlantic Ocean.

2. any of several related species, as the skipjack, Euthynnus pelamis.

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bonito British  

/ bəˈniːtəʊ /

noun

1. any of various small tunny-like marine food fishes of the genus Sarda , of warm Atlantic and Pacific waters: family Scombridae (tunnies and mackerels)

2. any of various similar or related fishes, such as Katsuwonus pelamis ( oceanic bonito ), the flesh of which is dried and flaked and used in Japanese cookery

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bonito
  plural
• bonitos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bonito

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Spanish: literally, “pretty,” equivalent to bueno “good” + -ito diminutive suffix, or from Arabic bainīth

Compare meaning

How does bonito compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bonito vs. Bonita

Explanation

A bonito is a medium-sized fish that's a close relation of the tuna. When smoked and fermented, bonito is used to flavor many Japanese soups. Bonitos are in the same family as tuna and mackerel, and they're sometimes used as a less expensive substitute for skipjack tuna. In Japanese cuisine, the fish is commonly used in the form of "bonito flakes," or katsuobushi. These intensely flavorful dried flakes are added to dashi broth, which is the base of most miso soup. Bonito is a Spanish word that means "the good one."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bonito bonitos

Against the country that had innovated the jogo bonito, Haaland’s performance was a masterpiece of straightforward brutality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The "Manana sera bonito" singer is the first Latina artist to headline the festival, which draws massive crowds over two consecutive weekends in Indio, California.

From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026

Dishes include Mas Huni 2.0, made with smoked bonito, Kampot pepper, onion, curry leaves, coconut and lime, are an elevated play on the Maldivian staple.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025

Unlike pasta or curry, ramen is difficult to replicate at home, he said, Making it from scratch involves hours of cooking stock, with pork, beef or chicken, various fish or bonito flakes, and “kombu” kelp.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2024

Today I’ll work out where the schools of bonito and albacore are and maybe there will be a big one with them.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

Here the larger pelagic fish, the barracuda, bonitos and sharks, patrol.

From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2012

Fisherman's contention: though Truman was photographed, while President, in various Izaak Walton poses with grouper, bonitos, barracuda and king salmon, "there is no concrete evidence that he actually caught any of them."

From Time Magazine Archive

These waters furnished our table with excellent fish, mackerel, bonitos, and some varieties of a sea-serpent.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Verne, Jules

We hooked up a lot of bonitos, 10 Lbs apiece, at the least.

From Tom Cringle's Log by Scott, Michael

With such a weapon it was probable that he might have succeeded in striking down one of the winged swimmers that, pursued by the bonitos and albacores, were still leaping over the raft.

From The Ocean Waifs A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea by Reid, Mayne