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

After the color of the beef changes, it can be dipped in an aromatic ponzu sauce or a creamy sesame gomadare. —Yukari Sakamoto, AFAR Media, 12 June 2025

Signature plates include amberjack carpaccio with citrus and ponzu, Fassona beef tartare with hazelnuts and black truffle, and smoked eel yakitori with rosemary potatoes. —Livia Hengel, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

Highlights of the current menu include tuna belly with ponzu, smoked fish broth, and parrotfish, fennel and miso. —Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025

The Aloha Spoon, an appetizer featuring Ikura, quail egg, uni, ponzu, and shiso, was refreshing, while the Tamari Salmon Poke with sweet soy sesame and scallions was simple but delicious. —Jalyn Robinson, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 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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