Actually, other than Tonkatsu, there are several Japanese dishes whose names include the word “Katsu (カツ)”, such as just “Katsu (カツ)”, “Hire Katsu (ヒレカ … Hire-katsu is made with a lean pork tenderloin, while rosu-katsu uses a richer cut of pork that comes with a strip of fat along the side. In other words, Katsu includes Tonkatsu, and the Katsu whose meat is pork is generally called Tonkatsu. Similar in form to a German schnitzel, katsu is one of many Western foods that has been adopted, adapted to suit local tastes, and become a key part of Japanese cuisine. There is another meal named Tonkatsu, People are very much likely to get confused with these two words. Tonkotsu.

On the other hand, the word Tonkatsu actually derives from two Japanese words.

The word means cutlet which made of pork. “Tonkatsu (豚カツ)” is one of the quintessential Japanese pork dishes that is popular among many overseas people.

Let’s break-up this word to make things easier: “ton” and “katsu.” The word “ton” translates to “pig, or pork”, and the word “katsu” is a shortened version of “katsuretsu”, which means “cutlet”. It is a really tasty meal prepared by the people in Japan. A Guide to Katsu: Tonkatsu, Chicken Katsu, Katsudon & More Katsu is a crispy fried cutlet of meat or seafood made with flaky Japanese panko breadcrumbs. By the way, the word in the food name, “Ton (豚)” actually means “hog” or “pig” in Japanese, and when we Japanese just say “I want to eat Katsu”, in many cases that Katsu refers to Tonkatsu, or pork cutlet. Tonkatsu Ingredients There are two main cuts of pork used for tonkatsu: hire-katsu meaning “pork fillet”, and rosu-katsu, meaning “pork roast”.