The Santoku Knife
Santoku, meaning "three virtues" or "three uses" refers to this knife's ability to mince, slice and dice.
It is a knife somewhat similar to the French-style chef's knife with its straight blade. However, the typical santoku has a slightly sharper angle on the blade and is usually shorter, ranging from 4 in. to 7 in. in length. It also tends to have oval-shaped indentations on the blade that allow sliced food to come off the blade more easily.
Due to its size, many people with smaller hands often prefer the santoku to a standard chef's knife. However, due to its typically flat blade the santoku doesn't rock like a German-style chef's knife does.