Yaki
/ˈjɑːki/noun
A Japanese culinary term referring to grilling, roasting, or cooking by direct heat.
Did you know?Yaki comes from the Japanese verb 焼く (*yaku*), meaning “to burn” or “to grill,” making it a linguistic descendant of humanity’s oldest cooking technology: controlled fire.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Japonic
Proto-Japonic
*yaku
“To burn, roast, or cook by heat”
Old Japanese
Old Japanese
yaku
“To burn, bake, roast, or heat”
Classical Japanese
Japanese
焼き (yaki)
“Roasting, grilling, or something prepared by heating”
Modern Japanese
Japanese
焼き (yaki)
“A cooking method involving grilling, roasting, or searing”
20th Century
English
yaki
“A Japanese culinary term used independently and in food names”
Modern English
English
yaki
“Grilled or cooked in a Japanese-style preparation”