yakitori

American

[yah-ki-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˌjɑ kɪˈtɔr i, -ˈtoʊr i /

noun

Japanese Cooking.

a dish of small pieces of boneless chicken, usually marinated, skewered, and grilled.

yakitori British

/ ˌjækɪˈtɔːrɪ /

noun

a Japanese dish consisting of small pieces of chicken skewered and grilled

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of yakitori

1960–65; < Japanese, equivalent to yaki broil + tori fowl

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

yakitori

Japanese cuisine, especially yakitori and robata, fits right in with my love for grilling and cooking over open flames.

From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2025

On Sunday night, it was Shohei Ohtani’s turn to organize a team gathering, planning a private sushi and yakitori dinner for the group with the help of fellow Japanese stars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2025

Sushi Yoko’s chef, Tomonori Nakamura, likes to dust it over yakitori but wants his customers to use it on whatever they like.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 15, 2023

These savory-sweet chicken skewers from our book “COOKish,” which limits recipes to just six ingredients without sacrificing flavor, are loosely based on Japanese yakitori.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 11, 2023

“Oh? I didn’t realize. Surely a few salmon rolls and yakitori skewers won’t break the bank.”

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023