bonito

American  

[buh-nee-toh] / bəˈni toʊ /

noun

plural

bonito,

plural

bonitos

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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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

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

In a recent study, researchers from Japan found an efficient and low-resource approach to trigger a reddening reaction in E. gracilis using red light and a bonito fish-based culture medium.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2024

Volunteers toss big steel hooks baited with bloody chunks of bonito fish overboard, and heavy concrete anchors pull the bait to the sea floor, where it will hopefully attract some of the region’s largest sharks.

From Scientific American • Oct. 18, 2023

It will be harder to eat than the bonito.

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