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

New on the culinary scene in the River Arts District is farm-to-table restaurant Crusco, serving seasonal dishes like spaghetti with North Carolina clams and beets with carrots, crispy pork, and ponzu. —Shayla Martin, AFAR Media, 28 Aug. 2025

Wagyu beef dumplings feature tasty meatballs and a bright chile ponzu dipping sauce. —Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025

Sleek hamachi yellowtail came with Serrano peppers and wonderful crispy potatoes, while lustrous king salmon was dressed with ponzu and a wasabi salsa that was delightfully mild so as to not clash with the delicacy of the fish. —John Mariani, Forbes.com, 9 July 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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