Sushi is a popular and tasty dish. It is an integral part of Japanese cuisine and is served cold. It has a tangy taste. The term sushi means sour-tasting. It used fermented rice to make a new dish.
During the Muromachi period, the Japanese started adding vinegar to their sushi. This step was taken to enhance the taste.
Rice is the main ingredient in sushi. However, seafood is also a popular alternative. Fishes like salmon and tuna serve as rich sources of protein. There are wide varieties of sushi.
These are chirashizushi, inarizushi, roll sushi, and hand roll sushi. Roll sushi and hand-roll sushi are confusing, but they are different.
Key Takeaways
- Sushi rolls, or “maki,” are sushi featuring rice, seafood, and vegetables wrapped in a seaweed sheet called nori, with the roll cut into bite-sized pieces for serving.
- Hand rolls, or “temaki,” also consist of rice, seafood, and vegetables wrapped in nori but are shaped into a cone and meant to be eaten by hand without being cut into pieces.
- The primary difference between roll and hand roll sushi lies in the presentation and eating method, with rolls more suited for sharing and hand rolls offering a more casual, personal experience.
Roll vs Hand Roll Sushi
Roll sushi is a type of sushi made by rolling sushi rice and various fillings, such as fish, vegetables, and avocado, into a cylindrical shape. Hand roll sushi is a sushi made by filling a cone-shaped piece of nori with sushi rice and fillings, such as fish and vegetables and is eaten by hand.

The rolled sushi is also called Makizushi. It has a cylindrical shape and wide varieties. It is rolled using a bamboo mat. It is ideally a shared meal. The hand-roll sushi is also called Temaki. It is conical in shape and is the only type available. Hands roll it. It is ideally a one-person meal.
Comparison Table
Parameter Of Comparison | Roll Sushi | Hand Roll Sushi |
---|---|---|
Also Known As | It is also known as Makizushi. | It is also known as Temaki. |
Shape | It is cylindrical. | It is conical in shape. |
Rolling Method | Rolled using a bamboo mat called makisu. | Rolled by hand, as the name suggests. |
Size | It is cut into small pieces, so it has a small size. | It has a large size. |
Serving Method | Served with chopsticks, owing to their small size. | Served without chopsticks, owing to its large size. |
What is Roll?
The rolled sushi is also called makizushi. It is a long cylindrical sushi. The main ingredient in the sushi roll is rice. Vinegar is added to the rice for flavour, and fish and vegetables are added as filling.
The rolled sushi is also called norimaki because the roll is a seaweed called nori in Japan. A bamboo mat makes the rolling of the sushi easy. This mat is called makisu.
After rolling the sushi into a cylindrical shape is cut into small coin-like pieces. The sushi is then served with chopsticks. This makes the roll sushi a shared meal.
Rolled sushi has wide fame in the form of an appetizer. It has many types, such as hosomaki, chumaki, futomaki, etc.
The hosomaki is a very simple roll of sushi. It is one inch long and contains a single ingredient. A chumaki is a famous sushi roll. It can have up to four different elements.
The futomaki is about two-and-a-half inches long. It can contain many ingredients besides rice and seaweed.

What is Hand Roll Sushi?
The hand-roll sushi is also called temaki. It is a conical sushi. The primary ingredient of hand-roll sushi is raw fish. The fish sneaks out of the covering. Many types of spices are also added to enhance their taste.
The hand roll sushi also contains a seaweed roll called nori in Japan. As the name suggests, the hand rolls the sushi into a conical shape.
Therefore, it resembles an ice cream cone in shape. The sushi is at least ten centimetres long. It is not cut into smaller pieces and is eaten by hand. Therefore, it is ideal as a one-person meal.
The hand-roll sushi has to be eaten immediately after being cooked. Otherwise, the nori absorbs the moisture from the filling and becomes difficult to chew. It doesn’t have different types.

Main Differences Between Roll and Hand Roll Sushi
The roll and hand roll are types of sushi. Their name derives from the different ways of their rolling.
The main differences between the two are :
- The rolled sushi is also called makizushi, whereas the hand roll sushi is also called temaki in Japanese.
- The rolled sushi is cylindrical, whereas the hand roll sushi is conical.
- The rolled sushi is more miniature, whereas the hand roll sushi is more extensive.
- The rolled sushi uses a bamboo mat, whereas hands move the hand roll sushi.
- Chopsticks are needed when feeding on roll sushi. On the other hand, a hand roll of sushi, being bulky, is eaten by hand.

- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1749-799X-7-26
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=rswWAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Roll+and+Hand+Roll+Sushi&ots=w5vFmix_UY&sig=97XSAoJ4k0ZF0ZYUNu8bInEGq24
Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.