Usuba characteristically have a straight edge, with little or no curve, and are wide or tall blade in height, to allow knuckle clearance when chopping on a cutting board.
A usubas is relatively thin compared to other knives, required for cutting through firm vegetables without cracking them.
Due to its height and straight edge, they are also used for specialized cuts such as katsuramuki, shaving a vegetable cylinder into a thin sheet.
While the blade of a nakiri has a double bevel, the usuba is sharpened only from one side, a style known as kataba in Japanese.
Since Kyoto is landlocked, they rely more heavily on vegetables than Tokyo, making the usuba the quintessential knife of professional chefs there.