Shabu-shabu: What This Dish Is and Where Its Name Comes From
Shabu-shabu is a pot of hot broth on the table in which the guest swishes a paper-thin slice of meat for a few seconds and then dips it in sauce. The name is onomatopoeia for the swishing sound itself, not kanji: しゃぶしゃぶ is written in kana. The broth is usually the simplest, based on kombu: it serves as a medium for quick cooking, not as a separate sauce.
Shabu-shabu has a speaking name: しゃぶしゃぶ is literally the sound of a slice of meat being swished in boiling broth in front of everyone. Let's look at where the word came from and who invented it, how shabu-shabu differs from sukiyaki and nabe in general, what sauces are served with it, and why the meat for it is cut into almost transparent slices.
A Pot on the Table and a Slice Swished for Seconds
Shabu-shabu is a pot of hot broth on the table and thin slices of meat that the guest swishes in the broth for a few seconds and immediately dips in sauce. The broth is usually the simplest, based on kombu — it is not a sauce but a medium for quick cooking.
Why the Slices Are Cut Almost Transparent
The meat for shabu-shabu is cut as thin as possible — 薄切り (usugiri). Such a slice cooks in a few seconds in boiling water while the guest holds it with chopsticks in the broth; a thick piece simply would not warm through inside in that time.
薄 — значение: thin, weak (taste, color) — онъёми: ハク — кунъёми: うす.い、うす-、-うす、うす.める、うす.まる、うす.らぐ、うす.ら-、うす.れる、すすき — 16 штрих(ов). 薄 — 'thin, weak': on'yomi ハク, kun'yomi うす.い. The main property of the dish is 薄切り (usugiri), almost transparent slices of meat, otherwise they will not cook in a few seconds in boiling water. The same character appears in 薄味 (usuaji) 'light taste' and 薄暗い (usugurai) 'dim, dusky'.
Write 薄 along the guides — the character of 'thinness', without which shabu-shabu would be just boiled meat.
The Swishing Sound That Became the Dish's Name
しゃぶしゃぶ is onomatopoeia for the sound of a slice of meat being swished in boiling broth: the word describes not the taste or ingredients but the motion itself. That is why it is written in kana, not kanji — like many other onomatopoeic words in Japanese.
An Osaka Restaurant and a Trademark of the Mid-1950s
The name was invented at the Osaka restaurant Suehiro in 1952, when they decided to add to the menu a dish that was gaining popularity — beef boiled in hot water. The word came into use, and in the mid-1950s (sources cite either 1955 or 1958) the restaurant registered it as a trademark along with several similar names.
Ponzu, Gomadare, and Shime: The Order at the Table
The usual order at the table is: first meat, then vegetables and tofu, and at the end noodles or rice are cooked in the remaining broth. This final step is called 締め (shime), 'finish', and it is present in almost any nabe dish, not only shabu-shabu.
- ポン酢 (ponzu) — a citrus sauce based on soy sauce, light and sour.
- ごまだれ (gomadare) — a thick sesame sauce, richer in taste.
- 締め (shime) — noodles or rice cooked right in the remaining broth at the end of the meal.
Two Sauces on the Table at Once, Not a Choice of One
Both sauces are usually placed on the table at the same time, rather than offering a choice of one: guests dip the meat now in ponzu, now in gomadare, changing the taste as the meal goes on.
Sukiyaki, Nabe, Yakiniku: Three Neighbors and Three Boundaries
Shabu-shabu has three close neighbors at the table, and it differs from each in one specific point.
Sauce, Tempo, Technique
From sukiyaki, shabu-shabu differs in the process: in sukiyaki the meat is simmered right in a sweet sauce in a pan, while in shabu-shabu it is only dipped in a simple broth for a few seconds and immediately taken out. From nabe in general, it differs not in ingredients but in this short individual step — swishing one slice, not cooking everything together at the same tempo. From yakiniku, it differs in the technique itself: there the meat is grilled on a grate, not boiled in broth.
FAQ
- What is shabu-shabu?
- Shabu-shabu is a pot of hot broth on the table in which the guest swishes a thin slice of meat for a few seconds and then dips it in ponzu or gomadare sauce. The broth is usually the simplest, based on kombu, and serves as a medium for cooking, not as a separate sauce.
- What does the word 'shabu-shabu' itself mean?
- しゃぶしゃぶ is onomatopoeia for the sound of a slice of meat being swished in boiling broth. The name was invented at the Osaka restaurant Suehiro in 1952, and soon it became established as the name of the whole dish.
- How does shabu-shabu differ from sukiyaki?
- In sukiyaki the meat is simmered right in a sweet-salty sauce in a pan, while in shabu-shabu it is only dipped in a simple broth for a few seconds and immediately taken out. In shabu-shabu the sauce is served separately for dipping, not cooked together with the meat.
- What sauces are served with shabu-shabu?
- Two sauces are served with shabu-shabu at once: ポン酢 (ponzu) — a light citrus sauce based on soy sauce, and ごまだれ (gomadare) — a thicker sesame sauce. Guests usually dip the meat now in one, now in the other, rather than choosing one sauce for the whole evening.
- What is put in the shabu-shabu broth at the end of the meal?
- When the meat and vegetables are eaten, noodles or rice are put into the remaining broth — this final step is called 締め (shime), 'finish'. During cooking the broth absorbs the flavor of the meat and vegetables, and shime finishes it off rather than leaving it to waste.
- Why is the meat for shabu-shabu cut so thin?
- The meat is cut into almost transparent slices — 薄切り (usugiri) — because such a thin piece cooks in a few seconds while the guest holds it with chopsticks in boiling water. A thick slice simply would not warm through inside in that time.
Sources
Updated: 2026-09-21