A mainstay of professional Western kitchens, the Petty knife is a small general-purpose knife used for peeling, shaping, and slicing fruits and vegetables, chopping herbs, and making garnishes. The compact size and relatively narrow blade result in a knife that is very nimble and controllable, and is ideal for making precise cuts.

Petty knives commonly have a blade length of between 120mm and 180 mm, and are larger in size than Paring knives, but smaller than the similarly shaped Gyuto.. Some beginners also find Petty knives less intimidating than the larger Gyuto.