---
slug: do_you_need_a_petty_knife
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/cutlery_knife_accessories/petty_paring_knives
type: buying_guide
title: "Do You Need a Petty (Paring) Knife?"
lead: "Yes, as the second knife — a 120-150 mm petty covers everything your santoku is too big for: fruit at the table, garlic, deveining shrimp, in-hand peeling. It's the pairing that makes a two-knife kitchen complete."
recommendation:
  name: "A 120-135 mm stainless petty"
  reason: "The petty is the Japanese take on the paring knife with a little extra length, and that length is why it earns the second slot: it works both in hand — peeling an apple, hulling strawberries — and on the board for shallots and citrus, where a stubby 90 mm parer keeps rapping your knuckles. Sub-150 mm keeps it nimble for in-hand work; past that you're just buying a small santoku. A dedicated fruit knife is the same idea with less range, and the utility knife is the awkward in-between that most kitchens skip."
published: 2026-07-07
updated: 2026-07-07
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Knife", "Length", "Best for", "Downside"]}
  rows={[
    ["Petty", "120-150 mm", "The second knife: fruit, garlic, small board work", "Too small for cabbage-scale jobs"],
    ["Paring", "80-100 mm", "Pure in-hand peeling and trimming", "Knuckles hit the board on board work"],
    ["Fruit knife", "100-120 mm, often with sheath", "Table fruit only", "The petty already does this"],
    ["Utility", "150-180 mm", "Between petty and santoku", "Usually redundant with both"],
  ]}
/>