箆
spatula, arrow shaft
Readings
On'yomi
- ヘイ
- ハイ
Kun'yomi
- へら
- の
- くし
Meaning
箆 centers on a flat, elongated tool: a spatula for spreading or scraping, and by extension an arrow shaft, which shares a similar slender, straight form.
Most common words using 箆
- 箆へら
spatula; (fabric) tracing spatula; (pottery) pallet
- 竹箆しっぺい
bamboo stick used to strike meditators into greater wakefulness (in Zen Buddhism)
- 箆鮒へらぶな
(artificially cultured) Japanese crucian carp
- ゴム箆ゴムべら
rubber spatula
- 箆の
shaft (of an arrow; made of bamboo)
- 箆蝶鮫へらちょうざめ
American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)
- 箆鷸へらしぎ
spoon-billed sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea)
- 箆鷺へらさぎ
common spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
- 糊箆のりべら
starch spatula
- 金箆かなべら
spatula; trowel
- 骨箆こつべら
bone trowel (Jōmon period); bone spatula
Study
Etymology
箆 combines 竹 (bamboo) with 比, which likely contributes a phonetic element. The bamboo radical suggests a tool made from bamboo, fitting the spatula meaning. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
Bamboo 竹 over 比: imagine a bamboo spatula being compared to an arrow shaft—both are flat and straight, made from split bamboo.
Reading mnemonic
For ヘイ, picture using a spatula to spread hay on a flat surface: hay -> ヘイ, and the spatula glides smoothly.