1.
appetizer; small dish served automatically at an izakaya or bar
A small dish of food that is served automatically when you sit down at an izakaya or bar, similar to a cover charge. The customer does not order it.
突き出しは枝豆だった。
The appetizer was edamame.
この店の突き出しはいつも美味しい。
The appetizer at this restaurant is always delicious.
居酒屋に入ると、注文しなくても突き出しが出てくる。
When you enter an izakaya, an appetizer is served even without ordering.
2.
pushing out; thrusting out
The act of pushing or thrusting something outward. Also used in sumo wrestling for a technique of pushing the opponent out of the ring.
力士が相手を突き出しで破った。
The sumo wrestler defeated his opponent with a thrust-out.
棚の突き出しに頭をぶつけた。
I bumped my head on the shelf's protrusion.
横綱は突き出しで一気に勝負を決めた。
The yokozuna settled the match at once with a thrust-out.
In sense 1, 突き出し refers to the small appetizer dish automatically served at Japanese izakaya and bars. It functions as a cover charge — the cost is added to the bill regardless of whether the customer wants it. This practice surprises some visitors to Japan.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 突き出しが出る: an appetizer is served
- 突き出し代: appetizer charge
- 突き出しで勝つ: to win by thrust-out (sumo)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- お通し: appetizer — same meaning as sense 1, more common in eastern Japan; 突き出し is more common in western Japan
- 前菜: appetizer — a general term for starters at a restaurant, usually ordered by the customer
CULTURAL NOTE:
The 突き出し system is unique to Japanese dining culture. It typically costs 300-500 yen and serves as both a snack and a seat charge. Some tourists find it confusing since it appears on the bill without being ordered.