noun
mortar; millstone
Refers to a traditional Japanese grinding or pounding vessel, often made of stone or wood, used with a pestle (杵, きね) for making mochi, grinding grains, or crushing ingredients.
正月には臼と杵で餅をつきます。
At New Year's, we pound mochi with a mortar and pestle.
祖母は石臼で大豆を挽いてきな粉を作った。
My grandmother ground soybeans in a stone mill to make kinako.
Rarely used kanji form.
Rarely used kanji form.
Rarely used kanji form.
The word うす is native Japanese, with the kanji 臼 depicting the shape of a mortar. The historical derivation is uncertain.