What is a Hori Hori knife?
A hori hori knife is a Japanese digging tool with a blade that is sharp along one edge and serrated along the other, built so you can dig, cut, saw and weed without swapping tools. Part trowel, part blade. Japanese farmers used it for foraging and cutting roots, and it has since become the tool a lot of gardeners keep on their belt from March to October.
The shape is what makes it work. A slight curve to the steel scoops soil like a trowel, the point goes into ground a trowel would bounce off, and most blades carry depth markings so you can plant at the right level without fetching anything else.
At a glance
- What it is: a dual edge Japanese digging knife, part trowel and part blade
- What it does: digging, planting, dividing, weeding, cutting twine, sawing through roots
- On the blade: depth markings for bulbs and seedlings
- Best for: deep rooted weeds, tight borders, stony or compacted ground
- Care: wipe and dry after use, sharpen the straight edge, store it in its sheath
- How to use a hori hori knife
- What does hori hori mean?
- Why gardeners rate it
- Weeding with a hori hori knife
- Looking after the blade
- The Hori Hori knife at Norman & Vera
- Frequently asked questions
How to use a hori hori knife
Each part of the blade does a different job, and once you know which is which the tool becomes obvious in the hand.
- The straight edge slices through roots, cuts twine, divides perennials and harvests veg
- The serrated edge works like a small saw for woody stems and stubborn roots
- The point digs accurately, whether you are planting bulbs, lifting weeds or breaking up compacted soil
- The curve scoops soil, which is what makes it useful for transplanting
Depth markings along the blade let you plant bulbs and seedlings at the right depth without a separate measure. Push the blade in, read the number off the steel, drop the bulb in.
What does hori hori mean?
The name comes from the Japanese verb horu, meaning to dig. Repeating it, hori hori, mimics the sound of a blade going into soil, so the name is onomatopoeic rather than descriptive.
In Japan the tool is also called a soil knife or a mountain vegetable knife, which points back to its origins in harvesting wild plants and roots. The name has stuck because it still says exactly what the tool is for.
Why gardeners rate it
Versatility is the honest answer. Instead of carrying a trowel, a hand fork, a pair of snips and a saw around the garden, you carry one blade that covers most of what those do between them.
Construction matters as much as shape. A full tang blade, where the steel runs the length of the handle, will take levering that would bend or snap a cheap trowel, and a wooden handle stays comfortable through a long session. The narrow profile is what earns it space in a tool bag, because it works in dense planting where a wider tool cannot get in at all. If you are building up a working kit rather than a drawer of single purpose gadgets, this is a good place to start in our Garden Tools collection.
Weeding with a hori hori knife
Weeding is where most gardeners are converted. The point pushes deep enough to loosen a taproot, the serrated edge saws through anything woody, and the flat of the blade slices weeds off at the base when that is all you need.
On dandelions and other deep rooted weeds it beats a standard hand weeder, because the length and strength of the blade let you lever the whole root system out rather than snapping the top off and waiting for it to come back. In a densely planted border that precision counts twice, since you can work around the roots of everything you want to keep. The RHS guidance on weeds is worth reading alongside this if you are deciding what to pull and what to leave.
Looking after the blade
A hori hori will outlast most tools in the shed if it is looked after, and the routine is short.
- Wipe the blade clean after every use to take off soil and sap
- Dry it properly, even a stainless blade
- Oil a carbon steel blade lightly before it goes away
- Sharpen the straight edge with a stone or flat file, and the serrations with a small round file
- Store it in its sheath, out of damp, which protects the blade and your hands
Left outdoors over a wet week, the handle suffers before the steel does. That is the failure most people meet first, and it is entirely avoidable. More on keeping a working garden going through the year sits in Gardening & Growing.
The Hori Hori knife at Norman & Vera
Our Hori Hori Gardening Knife with Sheath Case follows the traditional Japanese design closely. The dual edge stainless steel blade is sharp on one side and serrated on the other, with depth markings in both inches and millimetres, and the full tang construction runs into a smooth wooden handle.
The blade measures approximately 17cm, with a total length of approximately 30cm, so it sits comfortably in an average hand without feeling short. It comes with a green fabric sheath and belt loop, which is how it should be stored between jobs. It is sold to over 18s only, as knives and cutting tools are age restricted in the UK.
It also makes a genuinely useful present for someone who already owns plenty of tools, which is why it sits in our Gardening Gifts range as well.
Frequently asked questions
Is a hori hori knife worth it for a small garden?
Yes, and a small garden is often where it does the most work. Beds in a small garden are usually planted tightly, so there is rarely room to swing a fork or kneel down with a full tool bag beside you. A hori hori works in that space. You can lift a weed from between two perennials, plant a bulb at the right depth, cut twine and divide a clump without standing up to fetch anything else. It stores flat in its sheath too, which helps when shed space is short.
What is the difference between a hori hori knife and a trowel?
A trowel digs, and that is mostly it. A hori hori digs with a narrower, stronger blade, then does several jobs a trowel cannot. The straight edge slices roots and twine, the serrated edge saws through woody stems, and the point goes into compacted or stony ground where a trowel blade would flex. Most hori hori blades are full tang, meaning the steel runs the length of the handle, so they take levering that would snap a cheap trowel. A trowel is still the gentler choice for potting on and moving loose compost.
Can you use a hori hori knife to plant bulbs?
It is one of the jobs the tool is best at. Most hori hori blades carry depth markings in inches or millimetres, so you push the blade in, read the depth off the steel and set the bulb at the right level without guessing. The narrow blade also makes a neat hole rather than a wide crater, which matters when you are naturalising bulbs into an established border or along a lawn edge and want to disturb as little as possible around them.
Is a stainless steel or carbon steel hori hori blade better?
Stainless steel is the easier option for most gardeners. It resists rust, so a wipe and a dry after use keeps it in good order, and it forgives the occasional evening left out on a bench. Carbon steel takes a keener edge and is easier to sharpen, but it will spot with rust if it is stored damp, so it wants a light coat of oil before it goes away. If the knife lives in a shed and gets used year round, stainless is the safer buy.
How do you sharpen a hori hori knife?
Sharpen the straight edge with a whetstone or a flat file, working along the bevel at a consistent angle and finishing with a few light passes to take off the burr. The serrated edge is different. Use a small round or tapered file and work each tooth individually rather than running anything along the whole edge. Clean the blade first so you are not grinding grit into the steel, and dry it afterwards. Twice a season is enough for most gardeners, or more often on heavy clay.
Written by David Hurrion
David Hurrion is a trained horticulturist, teacher and journalist who has worked on nurseries, taught at colleges, and edited some of the nation's leading gardening magazines. He chooses everything Norman & Vera stocks, and makes practical gardening videos for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine.