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Definition of katsu

katsu

/ˈkɑːt.suː/
kat · su
Plural:katsu
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katsu Lexical Profile

• noun

1

A Japanese culinary dish consisting of a piece of meat—typically pork or chicken—that is coated in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried until crisp.

Example

"For dinner, we went to a local Japanese restaurant and ordered chicken katsu with a side of steamed rice and shredded cabbage."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for katsu

Word Nuance & Usage

Particularly in Western countries (like the UK), the term 'katsu' is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to the mild curry sauce served with the dish, though the word strictly refers to the breaded and fried meat cutlet itself.

• Rhymes for katsu

• Nearby Words

katoomba
katoomba falls
katowice
katsu
katydid
kaunas
kava

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 'katsu' (カツ), which is a clipping of 'katsuretsu' (カツレツ), a Japanese transliteration (gairaigo) of the English word 'cutlet'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Katsu. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 3, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/katsu
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