noun
Lindera umbellata; spicebush
A species of spicebush native to Japan. The wood is aromatic and traditionally used for toothpicks and tea ceremony chopsticks.
クロモジの枝からは良い香りがする。
The branches of the spicebush give off a pleasant fragrance.
noun
Specifically a toothpick made from the aromatic wood of the クロモジ tree. Common in traditional settings.
At high-end Japanese restaurants, toothpicks made of spicebush wood are sometimes provided.
noun
natural wooden chopsticks (tea ceremony)
Used in the context of tea ceremony, referring to chopsticks made from the natural wood of the クロモジ tree, often for handling sweets.
茶道では、黒文字でお菓子を取ります。
In the tea ceremony, you take sweets with spicebush-wood chopsticks.
noun
black characters; black text
Literal reading of the kanji. Used to describe text or characters printed in black, as opposed to red or other colors.
この書類は黒文字で印刷してください。
Please print this document in black text.
The kanji 黒文字 literally mean 'black characters', which is one sense. The plant name クロモジ likely derives from the appearance of the bark or the dark markings on the wood, but the exact origin is uncertain.