sushi terrorism

noun

Misbehavior of unhygienic pranks committed at conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Japan, such as licking shared soy sauce bottles, spitting on food, and touching other diners' sushi.

First used 2023
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Meanings

nounsushi terrorism (uncountable)
  1. neologismuncountableeconomicsMisbehavior of unhygienic pranks committed at conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Japan, such as licking shared soy sauce bottles, spitting on food, and touching other diners' sushi.First known use 2023

    Several acts of what is being called “sushi terrorism” have emerged on Twitter and other social media in recent days, although some apparently date back weeks, and even years.

    2023 February 3, Justin McCurry, “Wave of ‘sushi terrorism’ grips Japan’s restaurant world”, in The Guardian

Origin

From sushi + terrorism. Coined in early 2023.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish sushiterrorismi
  • sushiterrorismiunhygienic pranks towards Japanese sushi restaurants
Japanese 寿司テロ
  • 寿司テロunhygienic pranks towards Japanese sushi restaurants
Russian сушитерроризм, суши-терроризм
  • сушитерроризм (sušiterrorizm)unhygienic pranks towards Japanese sushi restaurants
  • суши-терроризм (suši-terrorizm)unhygienic pranks towards Japanese sushi restaurants
Cite this entry
APA

sushi terrorism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sushi%20terrorism

MLA

“sushi terrorism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sushi%20terrorism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sushi terrorism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sushi%20terrorism.

Source: sushi terrorism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.