Tonkatsu is a thick slice of pork coated in panko, deep-fried, and sliced into strips, served with raw shredded cabbage and rice. There is rosu, the loin with a strip of fat, and hire, the lean tenderloin — you choose between them when you order.

What is the sauce served with tonkatsu?

It is tonkatsu sauce — a thick, dark sauce made from vegetables and fruit, a descendant of English Worcestershire sauce, made thicker and milder in Japan so that it clings to the coating. In shops it is sold in a line of sauces arranged by thickness: from thin Worcestershire through medium chūno to the thickest tonkatsu sauce.

How does rosu differ from hire in tonkatsu?

Rosu is the loin with a strip of fat along the edge, juicier and with a rich meaty flavor. Hire is the lean tenderloin without fat, softer to bite but drier. The difference is in the cut of meat, not in the coating or frying method.

Why is cabbage always served with tonkatsu?

According to a widely told version, Rengatei was the first to serve raw shredded cabbage with tonkatsu during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905: cooks were drafted to the front, and there was no one left to boil a vegetable side. Raw cabbage could be shredded in advance, guests liked the substitution, and it became the standard side dish.

Why is tonkatsu eaten before an exam?

Because of the homophone: the カツ (katsu) in "tonkatsu" sounds the same as 勝つ (katsu) — "to win." Eating tonkatsu before an important undertaking is seen as a symbolic bid for victory, and closer to exam season, shops start selling katsu-sando with messages about good luck.

How does tonkatsu differ from schnitzel?

European schnitzel is usually thinner and is fried in a small amount of oil in a pan. Tonkatsu is made from a much thicker cut, deep-fried in a large amount of oil, and coated not in ordinary breadcrumbs but in panko — a coarser, crispier crumb.

Tonkatsu: Japanese Pork Cutlet and the Sauce Served With It

Tonkatsu is a thick slice of pork coated in panko, deep-fried, sliced into strips, and served with a mound of finely shredded cabbage and rice. There are two main cuts: ロース (rosu), the loin with a strip of fat, and ヒレ (hire), the lean tenderloin — this is the first thing you'll be asked at a tonkatsu restaurant. Tonkatsu is almost always served with its own thick sauce, simply called "tonkatsu sauce."

Half of all searches about tonkatsu are actually asking about the sauce that goes with it, and the sauce gets its own discussion here — but without a recipe. We'll look at how rosu differs from hire and where the dish itself came from, since it has no single creator. Along the way: why cabbage is always served with tonkatsu, what that sauce is, and what the Japanese word for "to win" has to do with it.

A Thick Cut in Panko: What Tonkatsu Is Made Of

Tonkatsu is a thick slice of pork coated in panko, deep-fried to a crisp crust, sliced into strips, and served with a mound of finely shredded raw cabbage and rice. The crispy coating and juicy meat inside are why people choose tonkatsu over the lighter tempura.

Rosu or Hire — the Waiter's First Question

ロース (rosu) is the loin with a strip of fat along the edge, juicier and with a more pronounced meaty flavor. ヒレ (hire) is the tenderloin, a lean cut without fat, softer to bite but drier. At most restaurants this is the first thing the waiter asks — not whether you want it spicy.

豚 — значение: pig, pork (in compounds) — онъёми: トン — кунъёми: ぶた — 11 штрих(ов). 豚 means "pig, pork": the on'yomi is トン (ton), the kun'yomi is ぶた (buta). In 豚カツ the first character uses the Chinese-derived reading トン, while the second, カツ, is katakana from the English word "cutlet." The word is half Japanese, half English, and you can see that right in the spelling. The same character appears in 豚肉 (butaniku) "pork" and 養豚 (yōton) "pig farming."

Write 豚 along the guides — the character for "pig," without which there would be no word 豚カツ.

European Schnitzel, a Cabbage Side, and a Dispute Over Who Was First

Tonkatsu belongs to 洋食 (yōshoku) — the category of European dishes reworked in Japan to local taste during the Meiji era. Several establishments claim to have invented the dish: the most widespread version names Tokyo's Rengatei in Ginza, which in 1899 put pork katsu (ポークカツレツ) on its menu — a thin slice of pork fried in oil, modeled on the European schnitzel.

From a Thin Schnitzel to a Thick Cut

The thick cut sliced into strips that we know today took hold later. According to a widely told version, in 1929 at the Ponchiken restaurant in Tokyo's Okachimachi, the cook Shimada Shinjirō took the hire tenderloin, which until then had been little used, and doubled the thickness of the meat compared to an ordinary schnitzel. It was fried in a large amount of oil, like tempura. Exact dates and names differ between sources, and Japanese reference works do not name a single recognized inventor.

Cabbage Instead of a Cooked Side — Because of a Shortage of Cooks

Raw shredded cabbage instead of a warm vegetable side was served with the cutlet by that same Rengatei — according to Japanese reference works, right away in 1899, along with the pork and the new frying method. A popular explanation links this substitution to the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905: young cooks were drafted to the front, there were not enough hands to boil vegetables, and cabbage could be shredded in advance. The two versions do not agree on dates, but the side dish caught on and stayed either way.

Tonkatsu Sauce: A Descendant of Worcestershire, Thickened to the Limit

Tonkatsu sauce gets its own discussion for good reason: almost half of all searches about tonkatsu are actually asking about it. It is a thick, dark sauce made from vegetables and fruit — a descendant of English Worcestershire sauce, which in Japan was made thicker and milder so that it clings to the coating instead of running off.

Not Just "Thicker Soy Sauce"

In Japanese shops, Worcestershire-based sauces are arranged by thickness: from thin ウスターソース through medium-thick 中濃 (chūno) to the thickest とんかつソース. Besides tonkatsu, this same sauce is poured over korokke and other fry dishes; for okonomiyaki, Japan sells a separate, even thicker sauce.

カツ Sounds Like "to Win" — and Tonkatsu Is Eaten Before Exams

The カツ (katsu) in "tonkatsu" sounds the same as 勝つ (katsu) — "to win." Because of this homophone, tonkatsu is considered a meal to eat before an exam or an important undertaking: eating katsu means, as it were, "winning" in advance. Closer to entrance exam season, shops start selling katsu-sando with a corresponding message on the package.

Katsu as a Prefix for Other Dishes

A whole range of dishes is formed from tonkatsu: カツ丼 (katsudon) — tonkatsu with egg on rice, カツカレー (katsu-karē) — tonkatsu with Japanese curry, カツサンド (katsu-sando) — a sandwich with tonkatsu between slices of white bread. All three contain the same breaded slice of pork, just in different company.

FAQ

What is tonkatsu?: Tonkatsu is a thick slice of pork coated in panko, deep-fried, and sliced into strips, served with raw shredded cabbage and rice. There is rosu, the loin with a strip of fat, and hire, the lean tenderloin — you choose between them when you order.
What is the sauce served with tonkatsu?: It is tonkatsu sauce — a thick, dark sauce made from vegetables and fruit, a descendant of English Worcestershire sauce, made thicker and milder in Japan so that it clings to the coating. In shops it is sold in a line of sauces arranged by thickness: from thin Worcestershire through medium chūno to the thickest tonkatsu sauce.
How does rosu differ from hire in tonkatsu?: Rosu is the loin with a strip of fat along the edge, juicier and with a rich meaty flavor. Hire is the lean tenderloin without fat, softer to bite but drier. The difference is in the cut of meat, not in the coating or frying method.
Why is cabbage always served with tonkatsu?: According to a widely told version, Rengatei was the first to serve raw shredded cabbage with tonkatsu during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905: cooks were drafted to the front, and there was no one left to boil a vegetable side. Raw cabbage could be shredded in advance, guests liked the substitution, and it became the standard side dish.
Why is tonkatsu eaten before an exam?: Because of the homophone: the カツ (katsu) in "tonkatsu" sounds the same as 勝つ (katsu) — "to win." Eating tonkatsu before an important undertaking is seen as a symbolic bid for victory, and closer to exam season, shops start selling katsu-sando with messages about good luck.
How does tonkatsu differ from schnitzel?: European schnitzel is usually thinner and is fried in a small amount of oil in a pan. Tonkatsu is made from a much thicker cut, deep-fried in a large amount of oil, and coated not in ordinary breadcrumbs but in panko — a coarser, crispier crumb.

Sources

Updated: 2026-09-21