Teriyaki sauce is a glossy, dark-brown Japanese glaze built from soy sauce, mirin and/or sugar, and often sake, simmered until it thickens into a sweet-savoury lacquer. The name joins teri ("lustre, shine") and yaki ("grilled, broiled"), describing not a bottled condiment but a cooking method — brushing meat or fish with the sauce as it grills so the sugars caramelise into a shiny, umami-rich glaze.