ponzu

noun

pon·​zu ˈpän-(ˌ)zü 

: a tangy sauce made with citrus juice, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce and used especially on seafood

Did you know?

The word ponzu is relatively new to English; our earliest English-language evidence of the word - which we borrowed from Japanese - is from 1972. But the word's history isn't as simple as that fact suggests. The Japanese word, which literally means "juice squeezed from sour oranges" is itself from the Dutch word pons. And "pons" comes from (and shares the meaning of) the English word punch as it's used to refer to the beverage concoction that's often served at parties, weddings, and wakes.

Examples of ponzu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For the salsa, toss the fruit(s), tomato, cucumber, and jalapeno together, then stir in the ponzu sauce. —Kathryn Gregory, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Oct. 2025

At Tambourine Room, they’re paired with ponzu sauce, Shifka pepper, fennel and a peach foam. —Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025

This summer, for example, Fiji Airways introduced an elevated dining on demand service complete with bites like delicate hamachi crudo with octopus and ponzu, and Singapore Airlines puts a lot of thought into choosing the perfect Champagne for its flights. —Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2025

Drizzle with soy sauce or ponzu, wrap and enjoy. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Japanese ponsu, ponzu juice squeezed from sour oranges, from Dutch pons, literally, punch, from English punch entry 4

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

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