# Sharpening Angle for Japanese Knives

Source: https://stoneandstrop.com/blog/japanese-knife-sharpening-angle
Published: 2026-10-01
Publisher: Stone and Strop

**Short answer:** Sharpen a double-bevel Japanese kitchen knife (gyuto, santoku, nakiri) at 10 to 17 degrees per side, which is 20 to 34 degrees inclusive. Use the maker's figure when one is published: Shun states 16 per side, Global 10 to 15. A single-bevel knife such as a yanagiba has no verified degree figure: its wide bevel is laid flat on the stone and followed.

This page is for the owner of a gyuto, santoku or nakiri who learned on a German knife and does not want to grind a thin edge into a thick one. Two things decide the angle: what the maker ground at the factory, and whether the knife has a bevel on both faces or on one. Every figure below is per side, the angle between the blade and the stone, unless it is marked inclusive. Other knife types are in the [knife sharpening angle chart](https://stoneandstrop.com/blog/knife-sharpening-angle-chart).

## What is the sharpening angle for Japanese knives?

Most Japanese kitchen knives sold outside Japan are double bevel: both faces are ground to meet at the edge, as on a Western knife, only at a lower angle. The working range is **10 to 17 degrees per side**. Sharpening Supplies puts the factory edge of many Japanese knives at 15 to 17. Single-bevel knives are a separate case and get no degree figure at all.

| Knife | Bevel | Per side | Inclusive | How to set it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Gyuto (chef's knife) | Double | 10 to 17 | 20 to 34 | Maker's figure, or match the bevel already on the knife |
| Santoku | Double | 10 to 17 | 20 to 34 | Makers print 9 to 16 for santokus, depending on the brand |
| Nakiri | Double | 10 to 17 | 20 to 34 | Wusthof prints 10 for its nakiris and santokus |
| Yanagiba, deba, usuba | Single | No verified figure | Not applicable | Wide bevel flat on the stone, following the maker |

Angles in degrees. The range is this site's working range, built from the makers' figures in the next table.

## What Shun, Global, Miyabi and Wusthof state

These are the figures the makers print on their own care pages. The inclusive column is calculated here by doubling. A brand that is not listed may still publish a figure: the [factory angles by brand](https://stoneandstrop.com/blog/knife-sharpening-angles-by-brand) table links each one to its source.

| Maker and line | Per side | Inclusive (calculated) | How the maker puts it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Shun | 16 | 32 | 16 degrees on each side of the blade |
| Shun Western Cook's Knife | 22 | 44 | A slightly wider angle, 22 on each side |
| Global | 10 to 15 | 20 to 30 | The blade meets the stone at 10 to 15 degrees |
| Miyabi, and Zwilling santokus | 9 to 12 | 18 to 24 | Angle between blade and steel on Zwilling's care page |
| Wusthof Asian-style (santoku, nakiri) | 10 | 20 | 10 degrees per side |

Read on each maker's own page. The inclusive figure is calculated, not the maker's.

## Can you sharpen a Japanese knife like a German one?

It will still get sharp, but it will not cut the same. A lower angle cuts more easily and is less durable, a higher one is tougher. Sharpening a 15 degree edge at 20 per side grinds a new, steeper bevel at the very edge within a few strokes. The knife loses the easy glide it was bought for, and getting the old angle back means removing metal on a coarse stone.

The gap between the two holds is small. On a blade 45 mm wide, 15 degrees per side puts the spine 11.6 mm above the stone and 20 degrees puts it 15.4 mm up. Less than 4 mm of lift separates them, so check the height before the first stroke. Note also that the German makers have moved: Wusthof now states 14 per side for its standard blades and Zwilling about 15.

Note: Edges of 10 to 15 degrees per side are too weak for chopping. Keep a thin Japanese edge away from bones and frozen food, whatever angle you choose inside the range.

## Spine height for 10 to 16 degrees per side

A degree figure means little to a hand. The height of the spine above the stone is easier to set: it equals the blade width times the sine of the angle per side. Measure the width at the heel, read the row, and lift the spine to that height.

| Blade width | 10 degrees | 12 degrees | 15 degrees | 16 degrees |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 40 mm | 6.9 | 8.3 | 10.4 | 11.0 |
| 45 mm | 7.8 | 9.4 | 11.6 | 12.4 |
| 50 mm | 8.7 | 10.4 | 12.9 | 13.8 |

Height of the middle of the spine above the stone in millimeters, angle per side, blade thickness ignored.

[Get the height for your blade in mm or inches](https://stoneandstrop.com/tools/knife-sharpening-angle-calculator)

## Single-bevel knives: follow the wide bevel

A yanagiba, deba or usuba is ground on one face only. That face carries a wide, visible bevel that runs from a line partway up the blade down to the edge. The other face is the flat back. No degree figure for these knives is verified, and none is needed: the bevel itself is the guide.

Lay the wide bevel on the stone and press lightly until it sits flat, rocking neither toward the edge nor toward the upper line. Sharpen in that position until a burr forms along the whole edge. The back then goes flat on the stone for a few light strokes that take the burr off. Follow the maker's instructions where they differ, and do not add a bevel to the back.

## Asymmetric edges on double-bevel knives

Some Japanese double-bevel knives are not ground evenly. The bevel on one face is wider than the bevel on the other, so the edge sits slightly off center. No ratio or degree figure for this is verified, so none is given here. What matters is to notice it before the first stroke and to keep each side as the maker left it.

Hold the edge under a lamp and compare the width of the shiny bevel on both faces. Then run the marker test on each side separately: ink the bevel, take one light stroke, and see where the ink is gone. The steps are in [how to find and hold the sharpening angle](https://stoneandstrop.com/blog/how-to-find-sharpening-angle).

Note: Do not try to even out an asymmetric edge by working the narrow side harder. Sharpen each side at the angle and bevel width it already has, and let the marker show you both.

## Which whetstone grits suit Japanese knives?

A water stone of about **1000 grit** does the sharpening, and a finishing stone of 4000 to 8000 adds polish. Shun sells exactly that pair as its own whetstone, 1000 on one side and 6000 on the other. Global says a medium grit stone is normally enough to start with, and a rough stone only when the blade is blunt or damaged. A coarse stone of 240 to 400 is for chips, not for routine work.

Japanese knives are generally made of harder steel than German ones, which is what lets the edge hold a lower angle. No rule that ties a finishing grit to steel hardness is verified, so pick the order by the state of the edge with the [whetstone grit progression](https://stoneandstrop.com/tools/whetstone-grit-progression) helper. Use light pressure throughout: a thin edge needs little force. Between sharpenings, Global tells owners to use a ceramic or diamond rod, never a traditional steel.

## Quick answers

Short answers to the angle questions asked most often about Japanese kitchen knives. All figures are degrees per side unless marked inclusive.

- **What is the sharpening angle for Japanese knives?** 10 to 17 degrees per side for double-bevel knives, which is 20 to 34 inclusive. The maker's figure comes first.
- **What sharpening angle for a Japanese chef knife?** A gyuto sits in the same 10 to 17 range. Shun states 16 per side and Global 10 to 15. With no figure, match the existing bevel.
- **What sharpening angle for a santoku or nakiri?** Wusthof states 10 per side for its Asian-style blades, Zwilling 9 to 12 for santokus and Miyabi, Shun 16.
- **What angle for a single-bevel Japanese knife?** No degree figure is verified. Lay the wide bevel flat on the stone and follow it, then remove the burr on the flat back.
- **Is 20 degrees wrong for a Japanese knife?** It works, but it thickens the edge and gives up the easy cut. Going back to 15 costs metal.

## Gear guides for this topic

- https://stoneandstrop.com/best/best-whetstone-for-japanese-knives
- https://stoneandstrop.com/best/best-knife-sharpening-angle-guide
- https://stoneandstrop.com/best/best-knife-sharpening-rod

## Sources

- [Shun: Frequently asked questions (sharpening angle)](https://shun.kaiusa.com/faq)
- [Global Cutlery USA: Knife care](https://www.globalcutleryusa.com/knife-care)
- [Zwilling: Use and care, knife sharpening](https://www.zwilling.com/us/about-us/use-care/article-use-care-knife-sharpening/)