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Kotomora

筅

bamboo whisk for tea-making

Strokes12

Readings

On'yomi

  • セン

Kun'yomi

  • ささら

Meaning

筅 refers specifically to a bamboo whisk used in traditional tea-making, particularly for whisking matcha.

Most common words using 筅

  • 茶筅ちゃせん

    tea whisk; bamboo whisk for making Japanese tea

  • 茶筅羊歯ちゃせんしだ

    maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)

  • 茶筅髪ちゃせんがみ

    hair style where the hair is tied up in a bundle on the back of the head (resembling the shape of a tea whisk)

Explore all words using 筅 →

Study

Etymology

筅 combines 竹 (bamboo) with 先, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest the forward motion of whisking. The exact historical development is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

The bamboo top 竹 and the lower part 先 (ahead, tip) suggest bamboo tips used to whisk tea forward and back.

Reading mnemonic

For セン, picture a thousand (千, せん) bamboo bristles on the whisk: 千 -> セン, and the whisk froths the tea.