Santoku

A Santoku is a Japanese designed general purpose kitchen knife whose name means "three virtues" or "three ways," referring to it's ability to cut, slice and chop effectively. Designed in the 1940s as an intermediary between the gyuto (meat), nakiri (vegetables), and deba (fish) knives.

It has a flatter heel with a slight curve up towards the downward sheepsfoot tip, allowing it to be used by chopping with the heel or shallow rocking to mince.

A santoku is perfect for a user who already uses a chopping or circular-rock cutting motion or for someone who wants a full-sized knife with a smaller profile.

Keep in mind that its shorter blade and lower tip limits its ability to rock or slice like a gyuto or Western style chef's knife. Also, most santoku are ground with the traditional Japanese thinness, so reserving them for soft vegetables and boneless proteins on a proper wooden cutting board will help avoid edge and tip damage.