Grilled chicken pieces (or sometimes offal) on a skewer—yakitori; a common izakaya dish, seasoned with salt or sauce.
友達と焼き鳥屋に行って、ねぎまとつくねを頼んだ。
I went to a yakitori place with friends and ordered negima and tsukune.
この店の焼き鳥はタレが絶品で、何本でも食べられる。
The yakitori sauce at this place is superb—you could eat hundreds of skewers.
焼き鳥は塩でさっぱり食べるのもいいし、タレでこってり味わうのも良い。
Yakitori is good with a light salt seasoning or richly flavored with sauce.
Historically referred to skewered grilled small birds (e.g., sparrows); this usage is now obsolete.
昔の記録には焼き鳥（主に雀を指す）を町で売っていたと書かれている。
Old records say that yakitori (mainly referring to sparrows) was sold in town.
In mahjong, 'yakitori' means failing to win a single hand during a half-game; a slang/colloquial term.
今日はついてなかった。半荘で焼き鳥をくらってしまった。
I was unlucky today—I got yakitori in the half-game and didn't win a hand.