shrimp vein; sand vein; digestive tract of a shrimp
Refers to the dark intestinal tract running along the back of a shrimp or prawn, often removed before cooking.
Please remove the shrimp's vein before cooking.
If the vein is left in, it can cause a bitter taste.
Rare kanji spelling using 腸 (intestines); not commonly used.
Compound of 背 (se, 'back') and わた (wata, 'guts, intestines'). The reading わた is a kun'yomi for 腸, referring to the intestinal tract.