Cut Sushi Roll vs Hand Roll (Maki vs Temaki)

Wondering about the difference between cut sushi rolls versus hand rolls? Or confused between maki versus temaki? I got you!

Find all the differences here, including step-by-step photos on how to make maki sushi rolls and temaki hand rolls!

Mango maksi sushi roll on the left with mango avocado hand roll on the right, with text at the bottom.

What Are the Differences Between a Sushi Roll (Maki) and Hand Roll (Temaki)?

	Maki Rolls	Hand Rolls
Shape	Cylindrical cubes, about 6-8 pieces per 1 long roll	Cone
Serving Size	6-8 bite-sized pieces	Whole rolls (uncut)
Bites Needed Per Sushi	Usually 1 bite is enough for each sushi piece	Usually 4-6 bites depending on the size
Rolling Method	Using bamboo mat (see pictures below)	By hand (see pictures below)
Prepared and Rolled By	The chef/the person cooking	Ingredients are prepared by the chef/the person cooking, but each temaki is rolled by the person eating it
Number of Fillings	Anywhere from 1 (hosomaki), 2-3 (chumaki), or more than 4 (futomaki) ingredients	Depends on the taste of the person eating it
Nori Sheet Quantity	1 nori sheet for 1 roll (6-8 bite-sized sushi)	Half a nori sheet per temaki (for restaurant-style), or a quarter nori sheet per temaki (for home-style)
Rice Quantity	About 1/2 cup of cooked rice per roll. So usually, regular rolls contain more rice than fillings	About 2 Tablespoons per hand roll. So in general, temaki has more fillings than rice
Eating Style	Usually with chopsticks, although you can also use your hands	With hands
Other Names	Makizushi, maki sushi, nori maki	Temaki, hand roll sushi

How to Make Maki Sushi Roll

Maki sushi are sushi rolls made with the help of a bamboo sushi mat (makisu) to roll them up. Once rolled up, they are cut into 6 to 8 bite-sized pieces.

However, a thick and clean kitchen towel can be used as a substitute for the bamboo mat. Having said that, sushi mats are very affordable so I highly recommend getting one!

The pictures below show how to roll maki sushi where the seaweed is outside. If you’d like to see how to make uramaki (where the rice is outside), please refer to my Mango Avocado Roll recipe.

A bamboo sushi mat with a nori sheet on top and rice on the seaweed. — Dab the nori sheet with water to seal it in.

Nori sushi with rice, cucumber, mango, and avocado on top of bamboo sushi mat. — Dab the nori sheet with water to seal it in.

What Are the Three Types of Maki?

The three main types of maki are hosomaki, chumaki, and futomaki.

Hosomaki is a thin roll which contains only 1 filling. Think of kappa maki (cucumber roll) or natto maki as examples.

As you add more fillings, you get chumaki, medium sushi rolls containing 2-3 fillings. You can check out my umeshiso roll, peanut avocado roll, mango avocado roll, or my AAC (asparagus avocado cucumber) roll for examples.

The last one, futomaki, is a thick sushi roll containing more than 4 fillings. Some examples are kimchi sushi and black rice sushi.

Close-up of kappa maki roll to show that it is a type of hosomaki. — Hosomaki: Kappa Maki (cucumber)

Someone dipping a chumaki with 3 fillings of shiitake mushroom, avocado, and spinach. — Hosomaki: Kappa Maki (cucumber)

There is actually another type of maki called the uramaki (inside-out rolls). Here, the sushi rice is on the outside and the nori seaweed wraps around the fillings inside. Uramaki is more popular outside Japan since it was invented in the US. They also tend to be served with sauces other than soy sauce, such as dynamite sauce or mango sauce. Think of California roll, dragon roll, or this mango uramaki.

Do You Eat Sushi Rolls With Hands or Chopsticks?

For cut sushi rolls, you can eat them with your hands or with chopsticks. Most people in the West use chopsticks but this is not necessary.

For other types of sushi such as nigirizushi, chirashizushi, oshizushi, and even sashimi, refer to this article by Sakura.co to check what is the preferred way of eating them!

How to Make Temaki (Hand Roll Sushi)

Half a piece of nori sheet with a bit of rice on the left. — Add a bit of rice on the borrom corner to seal the temaki.

Nori sheet with rice, mango slices, cucumber, and avocado being held with a left hand. — Add a bit of rice on the borrom corner to seal the temaki.

How to Cut Seaweed for Hand Roll?

Cut a sheet of nori in half (into 2 rectangles). Use each nori half for one piece of hand roll.

How to Eat a Sushi Hand Roll (Temaki)?

Hand rolls are best eaten with your hands, like a mini cone! Bite from the top so the fillings will stay tucked in neatly!

How Many Hand Rolls per Person?

I recommend anywhere between 4-8 hand rolls per person for a full meal.

If you are unsure, feel free to prepare more ingredients than you thought you would need. If there are leftovers, simply store the sushi rice and the fillings in the fridge for 3-5 days. Store the nori in an air-tight container at room temperature to keep it crisp.

FAQ

No, a California roll is a sushi roll (maki) with crab, cucumber, and avocado. More specifically, it’s an uramaki (inside-out roll). It’s cut using a knife into bite-size pieces, not shaped like a cone.

It’s called a hand roll because it’s made to be eaten with your hands. Shaped like a cone, temaki (hand roll) is easy to grab and eat, no chopsticks needed!

Sushi is a broad term for any sushi with rice and fillings, while maki specifically refers to rolled sushi. All maki sushi are sushi, but not all sushi are called maki.

For instance, this inari sushi does not require any rolling using a bamboo sushi mat. It is still considered as sushi, but NOT maki sushi.

Hosomaki is a type of maki that’s very thin, usually with just one filling (like this kappa maki), while maki can be of varying thicknesses with multiple fillings (like in this shiitake roll or kimchi roll).

They are called uramaki, or “inside-out roll.” It has the rice on the outside, with nori wrapping around the fillings inside. You can check my peanut avocado roll or mango roll as examples.

Now Let’s Practice Making Sushi!

Try these simple cucumber rolls, natto rolls (Japanese fermented soybeans), or umeshiso rolls. These three super simple sushi will help you practice and therefore master the art of rolling sushi!

If you are ready to add more fillings, then try my asparagus roll, mushroom sushi roll, or my kimchi sushi roll.

If you’d like to try a dessert sushi, try my peanut avocado roll or my mango maki roll.

For a non-conventional sushi, try substituting the sushi rice with black rice like what I did here in my black rice sushi.

Lastly, if you don’t want to bother with rolling the sushi, this avocado inari roll is perfect since you only need to stuff the tofu pockets with the fillings!

Cut Sushi Roll vs Hand Roll (Maki vs Temaki)

What Are the Differences Between a Sushi Roll (Maki) and Hand Roll (Temaki)?