カツ
カツ
katsu
= katsu; breaded and deep-fried cutlet (pork, chicken, or other protein)
カツ (katsu) — from the English word ‘cutlet’ — is Japan’s beloved breaded and deep-fried cutlet, most commonly made from pork (豚カツ, tonkatsu). Since its introduction in the Meiji era, katsu has become a cornerstone of Japanese comfort food, appearing as カツ丼 (katsudon), カツカレー (katsu curry), カツサンド (katsu sando), and ひれカツ (hire katsu). It’s also homophonically lucky: カツ sounds like 勝つ (katsu — to win), making it the ritual pre-exam meal.
Katsu (カツ) refers to a breaded, deep-fried cutlet. The coating uses パン粉 (panko — Japanese breadcrumbs) for its distinct light, crunchy texture. Major varieties: 豚カツ/トンカツ (tonkatsu — pork cutlet), チキンカツ (chikin katsu — chicken cutlet), メンチカツ (menchi katsu — breaded minced meat patty), ビーフカツ (biifu katsu — beef cutlet), エビカツ (ebi katsu — breaded prawn). Katsu dishes: カツ丼 (katsudon — katsu over rice with egg), カツカレー (katsu karee — katsu on curry rice), カツサンド (katsu sando — katsu sandwich). Eaten with: とんかつソース (tonkatsu sosu — Worcestershire-style thick sauce), 辛子 (karashi — Japanese mustard).
The homophone with 勝つ (katsu — to win) makes tonkatsu the iconic Japanese pre-exam and pre-competition meal. Students eat カツを食べて試験に勝つ (katsu wo tabete shiken ni katsu — eat katsu and win the exam) — the pun is explicit and beloved. Convenience stores sell カツサンド as a snack specifically around exam season. The ritual is taken semi-seriously: parents sometimes prepare tonkatsu at home the night before a child’s entrance exam (受験, juken).
カツ is written in katakana, being a phonetic abbreviation of the English ‘cutlet.’ The full loanword is カットレット (kattoretto), but Japanese shortened it to カツ — a typical Japanese pattern of phonetic abbreviation of English loans. The katakana writing reflects its foreign origin. Related kanji: 勝つ (katsu — to win) — same sound, different word, different writing, but the homophone is exploited ritually.
Everyday use
受験前夜に母がとんかつを揚げてくれた。
Juken zenya ni haha ga tonkatsu wo agete kureta.
The night before the exam, my mother fried tonkatsu for me.
Casual / Social Media
カツサンド買って新幹線で食べるやつ最高すぎる。あの幸せ感ずるい
Katsu sando katte Shinkansen de taberu yatsu saikou sugiru. Ano shiawase-kan zurui
Buying a katsu sandwich and eating it on the Shinkansen is peak happiness. That feeling of bliss is unfair
Formal / Cultural context
とんかつは明治時代に西洋のコトレット（フランス語：côtelette）が日本に導入され、洋食調理技術と日本の揚げ物文化が融合した経緯を持ち、パン粉（乾燥細粒パン粉）の使用による独特の食感と、ウスターソース系のとんかつソースとの組み合わせによって、現代日本の外食・家庭食双方で主要な地位を占めている。
Tonkatsu wa Meiji jidai ni Seiyo no kottoretto (Furansugo: côtelette) ga Nihon ni dounyuu sare, youshoku chouri gijutsu to Nihon no agemono bunka ga yuugou shita keii wo mochi, panko (kansou sairyu panko) no shiyou ni yoru dokutoku no shokkan to, Wusuta soosu-kei no tonkatsu soosu to no kumiawase ni yotte, gendai Nihon no gaishoku katei-shoku souhou de shuuyou na chii wo shime iru.
Tonkatsu originated from the Western côtelette (French: côtelette) being introduced to Japan in the Meiji era, with a history of merging Western cooking techniques and Japan’s frying culture; through the use of panko (dry fine breadcrumbs) creating a distinctive texture and combination with Worcestershire-style tonkatsu sauce, it holds a major position in both restaurant and home dining in modern Japan.
Tonkatsu has spawned a dedicated restaurant culture in Japan. 専門店 (senmonten — specialty restaurants) focusing solely on tonkatsu offer carefully sourced pork (ブランド豚, burando-ton — branded pork breeds like Kagoshima Black Pork or Berkshire), precise oil temperature control, and the theater of watching the cutlet being fried to order. High-end tonkatsu restaurants charge ¥3,000–¥5,000 per cutlet and are taken as seriously as any French restaurant. The contrast between this fine dining approach and the ¥500 konbini katsu sando illustrates how deeply katsu has penetrated every level of Japanese food culture.
カツカレー (katsu curry) — a breaded pork cutlet on top of Japanese curry rice — is considered one of Japan’s greatest comfort food combinations. Japanese curry itself (カレーライス, karee raisu) is already a deeply beloved 国民食 (kokumin-shoku — national food), and adding katsu elevates it to a satisfying, hearty meal. Katsu curry appears on the menu of virtually every Japanese family restaurant and is the go-to order for many Japanese people who can’t decide what to eat. The Self-Defense Forces famously serve curry every Friday, and katsu curry is a special occasion variant.
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