In Japanese, maki (巻き) literally means “roll” and is best known from sushi, where it refers to rolled sushi.

Core meaning in Japanese

  • The word comes from the verb 巻く (maku), which means “to roll” or “to wrap around.”
  • As a noun, 巻き (maki) is the “rolled” part in 巻き寿司 (makizushi), which literally means “rolled sushi.”

Maki in sushi culture

  • In food contexts, maki usually means sushi where rice and fillings are rolled in seaweed into a cylinder, then sliced into bite‑size pieces.
  • Because of that, many English menus shorten makizushi to just “maki,” so you’ll see names like “salmon maki” or “tuna maki” for rolled sushi.

As a Japanese given name

  • Maki is also a common Japanese female given name, and its meaning depends on which kanji are used.
  • For example, 真紀 can combine kanji meaning “truth, genuine” (真) and “chronicle, era” (紀), giving nuances like “true record” or “genuine era,” while other kanji pairings create meanings around purity, beauty, or happiness.

TL;DR: Maki in Japanese mainly means “roll,” especially in sushi (makizushi = rolled sushi), and it is also a feminine given name whose meaning changes with the kanji used.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.