Boutan's whiting has a very similar profile to other members of the genus "Sillago", with a slightly compressed, elongate body tapering toward the terminal mouth. The species is very similar to much more common "Sillago sihama" and is often misidentified, with counts of spines, rays and lateral line scales needed for identification. The first dorsal fin has 11 spines of which the posterior most one is very small, with the second dorsal fin having one spines followed by 21 soft rays. The anal fin has two spines followed by 21 or 22 soft rays, while the lateral line scale count is 76 to 80 and the vertebrae count is 38.