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When you sit at the counter and order nigiri a la carte, they will come out in pairs.* There is nothing wrong with counting these in the regular Japanese way \u201cikko (\u4e00\u500b),\u201d \u201cniko (\u4e8c\u500b).\u201d<\/p>\nWhen you sit at the counter and order nigiri a la carte, they will come out in pairs.* There is nothing wrong with counting these in the regular Japanese way \u201cikko (\u4e00\u500b),\u201d \u201cniko (\u4e8c\u500b).\u201d<\/p>\n
*It is said that nigiri-sushi in the Edo period was bigger than it is today, and too big to eat in one bite. In the Meiji period, the custom emerged of splitting this one big portion into two to make more easily consumed portions, and this is why it is common to get sushi in sets of two. However, nowadays making one piece of nigiri-sushi at a time is not very efficient. We think it\u2019s actually easier for the sushi restaurant to make them in sets of two. Of course, you can order them one by one.<\/p>\n
But the sushi restaurant won\u2019t count them like that. Formally, sushi is counted in this way: Ikkan (one piece), Nikan (two pieces).<\/p>\n
We have absolutely no idea where the custom of using the \u201ckan\u201d counter came from. It\u2019s also not clear when use of that counter for sushi started.<\/p>\n
Of course, there are theories. For example, there is a theory that back at a time when a single unit of money was called “kan.” The price for one piece of sushi was around 1 \u2018kan\u2019, and the counting method gained popularity.<\/p>\n
Let me explain in more detail. The term \u201ckan\u201d originally referred to a unit of weight, with 1 kan equaling approximately 3.75 kilograms. It was also used as a unit of currency, with 1,000 mon coins being called \u201c1 kanmon.\u201d During the Edo period, sushi was sold at stalls, and the price per piece was expressed as \u2018mon\u2019 or \u201ckanmon.\u201d It is believed that this price unit was later repurposed as a unit of quantity.<\/p>\n
Incidentally, when sushi first appeared, most sushi restaurants were food stalls, and the price ranged from 4 mon (120 yen in current currency) to 8 mon (240 yen) per piece. The most expensive topping at the time, otoro, did not suit the tastes of the people and was discarded, while omelette (tamagoyaki)<\/a><\/span> at 16 mon (480 yen) were the most expensive topping.<\/p>\n There is another theory that one sushi roll was counted with the counter for roll \u201c\u5dfb\u201d (also pronounced “kan”), then a different kanji was used for it later. However, these are just theories that were created after the fact and the mystery remains unsolved.<\/p>\n In addition, sushi restaurants are a world where the culture of craftsmanship remains strong, and there is a background of using specialized terminology to maintain formality and tradition. Rather than using terms such as \u201c1 plate (hito sara)\u201d or \u201c1 piece (ikko),\u201d using the term \u20181 kan\u2019 gives a more \u201cchic (\u7c8b<\/a><\/span>)\u201d impression and is said to embody the tradition and aesthetic sense of sushi culture. However, this is the reason why it is still used today.<\/p>\n Even if you ask the owner of a sushi restaurant, they’ll probably cock their head to one side, think for a moment, and tell you that the \u201ckan\u201d mystery may never be solved.<\/p>\n Sushi rolls wrapped in seaweed rolls are counted in units of \u672c (hon\/bon\/pon) in the wrapped state, and when cut with a knife, the units change to \u5207\u308c (kire). While these units are fairly straight-forward for Japanese language speakers and easy to understand, only the enigmatic \u8cab (kan) remains a mystery.<\/p>\n We hope this information will be helpful.<\/p>\n Revision date: June 18, 2025<\/p>\n
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