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

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

They found an empty storefront just across the street from Teriyaki Plus, but the landlord didn’t want just a teriyaki place.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2023

I met Hawkins, a dapper septuagenarian who broke her foot last week slipping on the pavement in front of an I Heart Teriyaki restaurant on her lunch break from work as building manager.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2023

A year after her husband’s death, she started Yoshio’s Teriyaki, in the same mini-mall where the deli is.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2022

They tasted about 60 percent as good as if you just poured a bottle of Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste & Glaze on a pile of soba.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2021