Wagyu Steak vs. Wafu Steak: What is the Difference?

When I eat out, in many cases, I go to one of my favorite ramen shops, sometimes to a Japanese or Chinese restaurant. And our family seldom eats steak at home, so I have little opportunity to have beef steak in my daily life.

By the way, speaking of beef steak, have you ever heard of the two types of beef steak that represent Japan, Wagyu steak (和牛ステーキ) & Wafu steak (和風ステーキ)?

Wagyu Steak vs. Wafu Steak 

Wagyu (和牛) and Wafu (和風) are similar Japanese words, but Wagyu steak and Wafu steak are somewhat different. Then, what is the difference between the two? For the unfamiliar, today, let me explain that.

Wagyu Steak (和牛ステーキ)

First, Wagyu (和牛) is a term composed of two Kanji characters, 和 and 牛. The former Wa (和) is the adjective “Japanese” in this case, while the latter Gyu (牛) refers to beef cattle. 

Therefore, Wagyu steak uses a slice of meat from Japanese beef cattle, and representative Wagyu brands include Matsusaka beef, Kobe beef, Maezawa beef, Omi beef, and Tajima beef.

As for the cooking method of Wagyu steak, it is varied and includes both Western and Japanese styles.

Wafu Steak (和風ステーキ)

As with Wagyu, Wafu (和風) is a term composed of two Kanji characters, Wa (和), for the adjective Japanese, and Fu (風), meaning “style” in this case. 

Thus, Wafu steak is the beefsteak unique to Japan in which chefs typically use ponzu sauce, soy sauce, and mirin to make the sauce and often prepare wasabi and grated Daikon radish as garnishes.

Unlike Wagyu steak, Wafu steak can use sliced beef from various countries. But if the Japanese steak prepares Wagyu meat, in addition to being a Wafu steak, the beefsteak is also a Wagyu steak.

(Reference Page: Wikipedia ステーキ )