Donburi (丼, literally "bowl", also abbreviated to "-don" as a suffix, less commonly spelled "domburi") is a Japanese "rice-bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice. Donburi meals are usually served in oversized rice bowls which are also called donburi. If one needs to distinguish, the bowl is called donburi-bachi (丼鉢) and the food is called donburi-mono (丼物).

The simmering sauce varies according to season, ingredients, region, and taste. A typical sauce might consist of dashi (stock broth) flavored with soy sauce and mirin (rice wine). Proportions vary, but there is normally three to four times as much dashi as soy sauce and mirin. For oyakodon, Tsuji (1980) recommends dashi flavored with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. For gyūdon, Tsuji recommends water flavored with dark soy sauce and mirin.

Donburi can be made from almost any ingredients, including leftovers.

Traditional Japanese donburi include the following:

Gyūdon (牛丼, literally 'beef bowl'), is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with dashi (fish and seaweed stock), soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine). It also often includes shirataki noodles, and is sometimes topped with a raw egg or a soft poached egg (onsen tamago).

Buta means pork. "Butadon" (豚丼) is a dish made with pork instead of beef in a mildly sweet sauce. Butadon originated in Hokkaido but is now enjoyed all over Japan.^[1]

Tendon (天丼) consists of tempura on a bowl of rice. The name "tendon" is an abbreviation of tempura (天ぷら or 天麩羅) and donburi (丼).

Tentamadon (天玉丼) consists of tempura which is simmered with beaten egg and topped on rice.

Unadon (鰻丼, an abbreviation for unagi + donburi, "eel bowl") is a dish originating in Japan. It consists of a donburi type large bowl filled with steamed white rice, and topped with fillets of eel (unagi) grilled in a style known as kabayaki, similar to teriyaki. The fillets are glazed with a sweetened soy-based sauce, called tare and caramelized, preferably over charcoal fire. The fillets are not flayed, and the grayish skin side is placed face-down. Una-don was the first type of donburi rice dish, invented in the late Edo period, during the Bunka era (1804–1818)

Tamagodon (玉子丼) consists of a scrambled egg mixed with sweet donburi sauce on rice.

Oyakodon (親子丼) consists of simmered chicken, egg, and sliced scallion served on top of a large bowl of rice. The chicken is also sometimes replaced with beef or pork in a variation referred to as Tanindon (他人丼).

Katsudon (カツ丼) consists of breaded deep-fried pork cutlets (tonkatsu) and onion are simmered and binding by beaten egg, then topped on rice. There are some regional variations in Japan.

Sōsukatsudon (ソースカツ丼) is similar to Katsudon, but with sliced cabbage and sweet-salty sauce instead of egg.^[1]

Konohadon (木の葉丼) is similar to oyakodon, but using thin sliced kamaboko pieces instead of chicken meat. Popular in Kansai area.

Karēdon (カレー丼) consists of thickened curry-flavored dashi on rice. It was derived from curry udon or curry nanban (a soba dish). Sold at soba/udon restaurants.

Tekkadon (鉄火丼) consists of thinly-sliced raw tuna on rice. Spicy tekkadon is made with what can be a mix of spicy ingredients, a spicy orange sauce, or both (usually incorporates spring onions).

Hokkaidon (北海丼) consists of thinly-sliced raw salmon over rice.

Negitorodon (ネギトロ丼) consists of negitoro, aka diced toro (fatty tuna) and negi (spring onions) on rice.

Ikuradon (いくら丼) is seasoned ikura (salmon roe) on rice.

Kaisendon (海鮮丼) consists of thinly-sliced sashimi on rice. Fish roe may also be included.

Tenshindon or tenshin-han (天津丼 / 天津飯) is a Chinese-Japanese specialty, consisting of a crabmeat omelet on rice; this dish is named for the city of Tianjin.

Chūkadon (中華丼, literally "Chinese rice bowl") consists of a bowl of rice with stir-fried vegetables, onions, mushrooms, and thin slices of meat on top. This dish is similar to chop suey, and is sold at inexpensive Chinese restaurants in Japan.

• 
  Pork sukiyakidon
• 
  Kaisendon
• 
  A bowl of Japanese rice topped with karaage chicken, soft-boiled egg, vegetables and topped with condiments

• Gaifan - similar Chinese dish
• Loco moco - similar Hawaiian dish
• Japanese cuisine
• List of Japanese dishes

• Tsuji, Shizuo (1980). Japanese cooking: A simple art. New York: Kodansha International/USA. ISBN 0-87011-399-2.