nori

American  

[nawr-ee] / ˈnɔr i /

noun

Cooking.

noris plural

1. a seaweed having a mildly sweet, salty taste, usually dried, used in Japanese cuisine mainly as a wrap for sushi.

---

nori British  

/ ˈnɔːrɪ /

noun

1. an edible seaweed often used in Japanese cookery, esp for wrapping sushi or rice balls

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• noris
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nori

First recorded in 1890–95; from Japanese: literally, “edible seaweed, laver,” equivalent to no “water” + ri “lichen, moss”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nori noris

Put it on a miso bagel with nori and salt for a Kosher-friendly bridge between Jewish and Japanese traditions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

Fold the nori almost like a taco, add the fillings, roll or plop it right in your mouth.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

Onigiri is popular among customers who want grab-and-go meals as the rice balls are easy to carry - wrapped in nori or dried seaweed and filled with protein like tuna salad or cod eggs.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2025

For example, nori is well known as the seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls, while wakame or kelp are often found in comforting ramen noodle dishes.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2024

It’s John Jr., carrying in a tray of rice crackers wrapped in roasted nori, salted nuts, strips of dried squid.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Oh, Jones of Trinity, oh, Smith of Queen's," I think to myself, "tua si bona noris!

From From a College Window by Benson, Arthur Christopher