Santoku vs. Santuko: The Importance of Pronunciation in the Culinary World

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Discussion Overview

This thread explores the pronunciation of the term "Santoku," particularly in relation to its use by Pampered Chef. Participants share their thoughts on the variations in pronunciation and express their feelings about the implications of mispronouncing culinary terms.

Discussion Character

  • Opinion-based
  • Anecdotal
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses frustration over Pampered Chef's use of "Santuko," insisting it should be pronounced "San-toe-koo."
  • Another participant mentions that the pronunciation can vary, similar to the "tomato" debate.
  • Several users note that the correct Japanese pronunciation is "San-to-ku," but acknowledge that people may pronounce it differently.
  • One participant recalls a Director meeting where it was discussed that the initial pronunciation by the company was incorrect.
  • Another participant shares their experience of being particular about pronunciation due to past speech classes.
  • Some participants mention their personal pet peeves regarding pronunciation in general.
  • One participant humorously recounts a story about a singer mispronouncing lyrics, drawing a parallel to the current discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on the importance of pronunciation, with some participants feeling strongly about correct pronunciation while others are more relaxed about variations.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects a mix of personal experiences and cultural observations regarding language and pronunciation within the culinary community.

Who May Find This Useful

Participants interested in the nuances of culinary terminology and those who value correct pronunciation may find this discussion relevant.

C
Chef Laurie
Messages
59
Has anyone else noticed or wondered at PC's mispronunciation of our most popular piece of cutlery? When they first introduced the knife 2 years ago, they called it the "Santuko" knife. I immediately cringed--the Food Network junkie that I tend to be, I know that it's spelled and pronounced "San-toe-koo," like "Sudoku" puzzles. It's been bothering me for months, when I hear it in the training materials, when I hear other people say it wrong. I know it sounds really picky, but to me, mispronouncing words can speak badly of how well we know our products. Is anyone with me on this?

Please don't misunderstand me, I make lots of mistakes in my demos. I've given out wrong information, said things I wish I hadn't. I call myself the "Pampered" Chef, not the "Perfect" Chef. But I strive to be as perfect as it is possible to be. And I'm convinced it's "San-toe-koo!"

OK, I've vented. I'm curious to know if anyone else has thought about this little funny mispronunciation?
 
it can be pronounced either way.
 
When they introduced it they made a huge deal it was San -2 -Koh even made the finger signs for two and o. Of course we came back o the delima that someone's brother speaks fluent Japenese andit was really pronounced the other way. Several of us called PC and it is the same as To-mah-toe vs To-may-toe. Basically, it is where we are talking about it in the world. In the US we say, san-2-ko...

Unless they changed it ...
 
Carol Radu had mentioned this at her Director meeting which is funny that you are bringing this up. She admits that HO when they first came out with it did pronounce it wrong and the correct Japanese saying is SAN-TO-KU just like it is written. However, she also said not to make a big issue of it as people have different ways of pronouncing things. We just need to remember what the correct way is and go from there.

"Some say tomato some say tomato some say potato some say potato lets call the whole thing off!":sing: (You notice when I write it it still looks the same!) LOL!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #5
And we all still love each other, right?
 
That's funny because I noticed at conference Marla was pronouncing it as SAN-TOE-KU. And thought to myself..."oh, they are saying it THAT way now."
 
smspamperedchef said:
Carol Radu had mentioned this at her Director meeting which is funny that you are bringing this up. She admits that HO when they first came out with it did pronounce it wrong and the correct Japanese saying is SAN-TO-KU just like it is written. However, she also said not to make a big issue of it as people have different ways of pronouncing things. We just need to remember what the correct way is and go from there.

"Some say tomato some say tomato some say potato some say potato lets call the whole thing off!":sing: (You notice when I write it it still looks the same!) LOL!
Click to expand...


I sat through auditions for a singing group. (I was a member of the group, but had no power to select anyone.) One young woman sang Let's Call the Whole Thing Off. However, she was obviously unfamiliar with the song. She sang each pair exactly the same. She didn't say, "po-ta-to/po-tah-to" or "to-ma-to/to-mah-to." She said, "po-ta-to/po-ta-to" and "to-ma-to/to-ma-to." We were all in tears by the time she got done. To this day I don't know if anyone ever told her how the song was supposed to be sung. I wonder if she got the whole point of the song. :confused:

Come to think of it, she's the same girl who thought pitch, as in pitch black, meant "really, really." So, she would say things like, "It was pitch pink."

Sometimes I feel just a little bad that I never corrected her. What can I say? I was young. Still makes me smile, though. :angel:
 
raebates said:
I sat through auditions for a singing group. (I was a member of the group, but had no power to select anyone.) One young woman sang Let's Call the Whole Thing Off. However, she was obviously unfamiliar with the song. She sang each pair exactly the same. She didn't say, "po-ta-to/po-tah-to" or "to-ma-to/to-mah-to." She said, "po-ta-to/po-ta-to" and "to-ma-to/to-ma-to." We were all in tears by the time she got done. To this day I don't know if anyone ever told her how the song was supposed to be sung. I wonder if she got the whole point of the song. :confused:

Come to think of it, she's the same girl who thought pitch, as in pitch black, meant "really, really." So, she would say things like, "It was pitch pink."

Sometimes I feel just a little bad that I never corrected her. What can I say? I was young. Still makes me smile, though. :angel:
Click to expand...

Wow- that's unfortunate... I hope someone helps her out! :)
 
raebates said:
Still makes me smile, though. :angel:
Click to expand...

Rae~

That is so funny! It made me smile, too! Hopefully, she has learned a bit more through the years and doesn't totally embarrass herself...but I doubt it!
 
I can remember when the Santoku first came out and they said we could pronounce it either way...thankfully, the San-TOE-ku pronunciation stuck with me!
 
Kitchen Diva said:
Wow- that's unfortunate... I hope someone helps her out! :)
Click to expand...

KellyTheChef said:
Rae~

That is so funny! It made me smile, too! Hopefully, she has learned a bit more through the years and doesn't totally embarrass herself...but I doubt it!
Click to expand...

That's been almost 30 years ago. I could hope that she's learned a thing or two. Unfortunately I'm not that optimistic. :cool:
 
The "Santuko" thing has always driven me nuts too. I bite my tongue not to correct my director, recruiter, and other clustermates. But having gone through speech class as a kid I am a freak about correct pronunciation. :)
 
Group Hug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I noticed in one of the training DVD's it was pronounced one way, then on a training thing on CC it was pronounced the other way. So I figured it was a toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe type thing. But I cringe when I hear Santuko, just like I cringe when my dad says Suduko. :)
 
It would probably bother you, then, to hear The Furry Guy call Isuzu vehicles "I-sue-z-you." LOL!My family is famous for mispronouncing words. My mother regularly butchers the word osteoporosis. She says "oh-stoh-sproh-sis." And, trust me, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I am a stickler for pronunciation and will go to great lengths to make sure I'm pronouncing things correctly. It doesn't tend to bother me in others, though.
 
I need to change the way I'm saying, then, huh? ;)

Just like I cringe when people (including our current President!) say "Nucular" instead of "Nuclear" - GRR!!
 
This one is another pet peeve. :grumpy:

I am one of those that tries to pronounce things correctly because my name is Danielle but it is pronounced "dah-NEEL".
 
raebates said:
I sat through auditions for a singing group. (I was a member of the group, but had no power to select anyone.) One young woman sang Let's Call the Whole Thing Off. However, she was obviously unfamiliar with the song. She sang each pair exactly the same. She didn't say, "po-ta-to/po-tah-to" or "to-ma-to/to-mah-to." She said, "po-ta-to/po-ta-to" and "to-ma-to/to-ma-to." We were all in tears by the time she got done. To this day I don't know if anyone ever told her how the song was supposed to be sung. I wonder if she got the whole point of the song. :confused:

Come to think of it, she's the same girl who thought pitch, as in pitch black, meant "really, really." So, she would say things like, "It was pitch pink."

Sometimes I feel just a little bad that I never corrected her. What can I say? I was young. Still makes me smile, though. :angel:
Click to expand...

Oh that's cute. I always wondered as a kid about jet black and what it had to do with jets (as in the airplanes). Then I saw the beautiful stone that inspired the color and all was revealed. LOL... http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/jet.htm
 
It's really an issue with me. I will purposely look things up in a dictionary to make sure I'm pronouncing them correctly. If I'm reading and come across an unfamiliar word, I'll look it up to make sure I know the exact meaning and pronunciation. Now, if you tell me I'm pronouncing something incorrectly, I'll look it up. If I'm wrong, I'll let you know and change my pronunciation. If I'm right, it's enough for me to know I'm right. Unless you correct me again, I'll never tell you I was right.
 
colegrovet said:
Group Hug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
HIGHJACK!! Oh my gosh Terry! I love your signature!:thumbup: That is my Pastor's favorite saying! He tells us to "get rid of our stinking thinking, and get a check up from the neck up!" LOL! He is usually telling us something about religious tradition, and how if you buy into it then we had better.... do the quote above! It's usually about how God loves us and is not this big bad God that the different religions has taught us that He is. And how He just wants to have a relationship with us!:D:angel:
Anyway..... just wanted to explain why my pastor would say that! I read your signature and just had to respond!;)
 
Last edited:
Chef Laurie said:
Has anyone else noticed or wondered at PC's mispronunciation of our most popular piece of cutlery? When they first introduced the knife 2 years ago, they called it the "Santuko" knife. I immediately cringed--the Food Network junkie that I tend to be, I know that it's spelled and pronounced "San-toe-koo," like "Sudoku" puzzles. It's been bothering me for months, when I hear it in the training materials, when I hear other people say it wrong. I know it sounds really picky, but to me, mispronouncing words can speak badly of how well we know our products. Is anyone with me on this?

Please don't misunderstand me, I make lots of mistakes in my demos. I've given out wrong information, said things I wish I hadn't. I call myself the "Pampered" Chef, not the "Perfect" Chef. But I strive to be as perfect as it is possible to be. And I'm convinced it's "San-toe-koo!"

OK, I've vented. I'm curious to know if anyone else has thought about this little funny mispronunciation?
Click to expand...

I have always called it Santuko because of how we were taught 2 years ago when they came out! But this past conference I noticed continuously they said Santoku. And I was like "What?:eek:" It mortified me too Lisa,that I was saying it wrong also! I felt like it made me look like I didn't know my product also! And I have heard it said on Food Network as Santoku, and I thought they were saying it wrong because I didn't think PC was wrong!
When I went back to my hotel that room this discussion got brought up with my hotel roomies! And one of the girls I was staying with is Japanese and she said it was pronounced Santoku and that was the proper way and that when said the other way it was WRONG! And she was insistent on that! So being that she lived in Japan for a while and is Japanese, I believed her and now I'm working on saying it right!!:rolleyes:;) I can't believe how many times I told people to say it Santuko, and not to say it Santoku, and now I have to go eat crow! Grrrr....:grumpy:
 
This drives me crazy! I took Japanese in school and so when I heard people call it Santuko I was so confused...how does Santoku sound like Santookoh? IT doesn't make any sense!
 
So, how do you say fructose? I have always heard it said with a long u, sounds like fluke. One time I heard someone say it with a short u, like truck. I should be like Rae and look it up, but I never did.
 
I was at a party once, and there was a chef there who had to point out everything I did wrong. Sigh. Anyway, his favorite thing to point out EVERY TIME I said it was that Santoku is actually pronounced "shan-o-qua". It took everything I had not to bust out laughing at the suggestion. It helped me feel a lot better about all the other stuff he pointed out that I was "mistaken" on! So, Santuko, Santoku, at least they are in the same family, right?
 
JAE, for what it's worth, as a chemist, I say fructose to rhyme with "truck-tose", but sucrose to rhyme with boo-crose :).

I have to say, I don't think I've ever heard another chemist say frooctose :D.

HTH!
 
Hmmm....I'm pretty sure Dr. Oz (on Oprah) says fructose like sucrose. Strange. I suppose I should use the dictionary.
 
OK, so maybe it's a US/UK thing - I just found out that DH pronounces it frooctose :).
 
dictionary.com has both pronunciations, but your way is first.
 
My dh calls it the "sudoku knife". Says it's easier to remember that way, LOL
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the correct pronunciation of Santoku?

The correct pronunciation of Santoku is "sahn-toh-koo." This Japanese word translates to "three virtues," which refers to the knife's ability to slice, dice, and chop effectively.

Is there a difference between Santoku and Santuko?

Yes, "Santoku" is the correct spelling, while "Santuko" is a common misspelling. The pronunciation remains the same, but using the correct spelling is important for clarity and understanding in culinary discussions.

Why is pronunciation important in the culinary world?

Pronunciation is important in the culinary world because it reflects respect for the culture and origins of the cuisine. Correct pronunciation helps in effective communication among chefs, food enthusiasts, and consumers, ensuring that everyone is on the same page regarding ingredients and tools.

How does the Santoku knife differ from other types of knives?

The Santoku knife differs from other types of knives, such as chef's knives, in its design and intended use. It typically has a shorter blade, a flatter cutting edge, and a rounded tip, making it ideal for precise slicing and dicing. The Santoku is versatile and well-suited for a variety of tasks in the kitchen.

Can the Santoku knife be used for all types of cooking?

While the Santoku knife is versatile and can handle many tasks, it may not be the best choice for all types of cooking. For instance, it may not perform as well as a traditional chef's knife for tasks requiring a rocking motion, such as mincing herbs. However, it is excellent for slicing, dicing, and chopping vegetables and proteins.

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