What types of nabe are there?

The most common types are yosenabe, "everything together," with fish, chicken, and vegetables; chankonabe, traditionally fed to sumo wrestlers; motsunabe with offal; and the very simple yudōfu — tofu in hot water with almost no additions.

Are shabu-shabu and sukiyaki also nabe?

Yes, formally they are also nabe: in both, food is cooked in a shared pot on the table, just in different ways. In shabu-shabu, thin slices of meat are dipped into the broth for seconds, while in sukiyaki the meat is simmered right in a sweet sauce in a pan — which is why each has long lived under its own name.

鍋奉行 (nabebugyō) — a joking nickname for the person in a group who takes charge of the pot: decides what to add and when, and corrects the others. The role is unofficial and taken with humor, but almost any nabe gathering has such a person.

Nabe: a Japanese dish named after the pot

Nabe is a shared pot of broth on the table, into which meat, fish, vegetables, and tofu are added as the meal goes on, and everyone eats from it together. The kanji 鍋 means "pot, pan": the word 鍋料理 (naberyōri), "food from the pot," and here the dish, like donburi, is named after the vessel itself. It is winter food for a group — one dish for everyone, not a portion for each person.

Nabe is not one specific dish but a whole way of eating in winter: a shared pot on the table and various options for what goes into it. Let's look at which types of nabe are most common, how an evening around a shared pot works, who the joking nabebugyō is, and how shabu-shabu and sukiyaki fit in, since they also belong to nabe.

A shared pot instead of a separate plate

At a nabe table, one pot of boiling broth sits in the center, and meat, fish, vegetables, and tofu are added in turn. Everyone eats from the same vessel — this is winter food for a group, not a portion served to each person separately.

鍋 — the sign of the vessel itself, not the recipe

The kanji 鍋 is read カ, kun なべ, and means "pot, pan": on the left is the radical 金 "metal," on the right is a phonetic. The word 鍋料理 (naberyōri) literally means "food from the pot" — and, as with donburi, the dish itself is named after the vessel, not the contents.

鍋 — значение: pot, pan — онъёми: カ — кунъёми: なべ — 17 штрих(ов). 鍋 — "pot, pan": on'yomi カ, kun'yomi なべ. The radical 金 "metal" plus the right part — a sign literally about the vessel. As with donburi, the dish is named after the vessel: 鍋料理 (naberyōri) means "food from the pot."

Yosenabe, chankonabe, motsunabe: types of nabe

The shared pot of broth is served under different names — depending on what is cooked in it:

寄せ鍋 (yosenabe) — "everything together": fish, chicken, vegetables, and tofu in one broth, the most versatile option.
ちゃんこ鍋 (chankonabe) — the nabe traditionally fed to sumo wrestlers: plenty of meat and vegetables in one pot.
もつ鍋 (motsunabe) — nabe with beef or pork offal.
湯豆腐 (yudōfu) — the simplest option, almost nothing but tofu in hot water.

Shabu-shabu and sukiyaki are also nabe

Shabu-shabu and sukiyaki formally also belong to nabe: in both, food is boiled or simmered in a shared pot on the table. Each simply has its own technique and its own name, which has long lived separately from the general word "nabe."

Nabebugyō and shared chopsticks: table rules

A set of rules has developed around the shared pot. You don't use your own chopsticks, the ones you eat from your plate with, to reach into the shared pot — for that there are separate shared chopsticks or a ladle on the table.

Nabebugyō — the one who commands the pot

鍋奉行 (nabebugyō) — a joking nickname for the person in a group who takes charge of the pot: decides what to add and when, corrects the others, and makes sure nothing overcooks. Such a person is found in almost any nabe gathering, and the role is treated with humor, not seriously.

At the end of the meal, as in shabu-shabu, noodles or rice are added to the remaining broth — 締め (shime), "the finish." By this point the broth has absorbed the flavor of everything cooked in it, and it is not left to go to waste.

FAQ

What is nabe?: Nabe is a shared pot of broth on the table, into which meat, fish, vegetables, and tofu are added as the meal goes on, and everyone eats from it together, not from separate plates. It is winter food for a group, not a dish for one.
What types of nabe are there?: The most common types are yosenabe, "everything together," with fish, chicken, and vegetables; chankonabe, traditionally fed to sumo wrestlers; motsunabe with offal; and the very simple yudōfu — tofu in hot water with almost no additions.
Are shabu-shabu and sukiyaki also nabe?: Yes, formally they are also nabe: in both, food is cooked in a shared pot on the table, just in different ways. In shabu-shabu, thin slices of meat are dipped into the broth for seconds, while in sukiyaki the meat is simmered right in a sweet sauce in a pan — which is why each has long lived under its own name.
Who is nabebugyō?: 鍋奉行 (nabebugyō) — a joking nickname for the person in a group who takes charge of the pot: decides what to add and when, and corrects the others. The role is unofficial and taken with humor, but almost any nabe gathering has such a person.

Sources

Updated: 2026-09-21