Home / Cutlery Types / Menkiri (Noodle Cutting Knife)

Bevel Type Analysis

Single Bevel (Kataba)

Traditional single-bevel (Kataba) blades are flat or slightly concave on the back (Urasuki) and beveled only on the front. This enables clean, razor-sharp surgical slices without pushing or squeezing foods—highly favored by Japanese sushi and sashimi chefs.

Cutting Mechanics

Single vs Double Bevel Cut Mechanics

knife

Menkiri (Noodle Cutting Knife)

Menkiri

Description

The Menkiri is a highly specialized Japanese knife with a long, completely flat edge that extends all the way back to the handle. It is designed specifically for cutting folded dough into thin noodles like Soba and Udon. The weight and flat geometry help the blade cut cleanly through the dough onto the board in a single stroke.

Best For

✓ Cutting Soba noodles

✓ Cutting Udon noodles

✓ Cutting homemade pasta

✓ Perfect flat dough slices

Blade Characteristics

Uniquely shaped rectangle with the blade extending below the handle.
Long, flat cutting edge with absolutely no curvature.
Extremely heavy weight to assist in effortless downward slicing.
Single-bevel (Kataba) profile for ultimate straight tracking.

Steel Recommendations

For this type of blade, professional makers typically suggest: Yasuki Blue Paper Steel (Aogami) or White Paper Steel (Shirogami) for ultimate push-cutting geometry and ease of hand whetstone sharpening.