bonito

American  

[buh-nee-toh] / bəˈni toʊ /

noun

bonito, plural bonitos plural

1. any mackerel-like fish of the genus Sarda, as S. sarda, of the Atlantic Ocean.

2. any of several related species, as the skipjack, Euthynnus pelamis.

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bonito British  

/ bəˈniːtəʊ /

noun

1. any of various small tunny-like marine food fishes of the genus Sarda , of warm Atlantic and Pacific waters: family Scombridae (tunnies and mackerels)

2. any of various similar or related fishes, such as Katsuwonus pelamis ( oceanic bonito ), the flesh of which is dried and flaked and used in Japanese cookery

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bonito
  plural
• bonitos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bonito

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Spanish: literally, “pretty,” equivalent to bueno “good” + -ito diminutive suffix, or from Arabic bainīth

Compare meaning

How does bonito compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bonito vs. Bonita

Explanation

A bonito is a medium-sized fish that's a close relation of the tuna. When smoked and fermented, bonito is used to flavor many Japanese soups. Bonitos are in the same family as tuna and mackerel, and they're sometimes used as a less expensive substitute for skipjack tuna. In Japanese cuisine, the fish is commonly used in the form of "bonito flakes," or katsuobushi. These intensely flavorful dried flakes are added to dashi broth, which is the base of most miso soup. Bonito is a Spanish word that means "the good one."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bonito bonitos

Against the country that had innovated the jogo bonito, Haaland’s performance was a masterpiece of straightforward brutality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

A year later, Brazil won the first of five World Cups and the joga bonito was born.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026

The "Manana sera bonito" singer is the first Latina artist to headline the festival, which draws massive crowds over two consecutive weekends in Indio, California.

From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026

Dishes include Mas Huni 2.0, made with smoked bonito, Kampot pepper, onion, curry leaves, coconut and lime, are an elevated play on the Maldivian staple.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025

Today I’ll work out where the schools of bonito and albacore are and maybe there will be a big one with them.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

Here the larger pelagic fish, the barracuda, bonitos and sharks, patrol.

From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2012

Fisherman's contention: though Truman was photographed, while President, in various Izaak Walton poses with grouper, bonitos, barracuda and king salmon, "there is no concrete evidence that he actually caught any of them."

From Time Magazine Archive

They also had to keep a variety of fish hooks ready, in order to catch any fish, such as sharks or bonitos.

From On the Spanish Main Or, Some English forays on the Isthmus of Darien. by Masefield, John

“However, if they were thrown overboard again, I suspect that they would have very little reason to thank us, as the bonitos would speedily swallow them up.”

From The Voyages of the Ranger and Crusader And what befell their Passengers and Crews. by Kingston, William Henry Giles

The larger are somewhat like red gurnards, and are said to prey on their smaller cousins, which are also pursued by bonitos, albicores, and dolphins of various species, as well as by numerous sea-birds.

From In the Wilds of Florida A Tale of Warfare and Hunting by Davis, John Steeple