匙さじ

also: しゃじ

さ

じ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

spoon

usually written using kana alone

General word for spoon. Often used in cooking contexts (e.g., 大さじ, 小さじ). Cross-referenced with スプーン, which is a common loanword synonym.

〈物もの〉をさじですくうto scoop something up with a spoon
スープをさじですくって飲のんだ。
I scooped up the soup with a spoon and drank it.
匙さじを投なげるto give up on something (idiom, originally of a doctor abandoning treatment)
医い者しゃはもう手ての施ほどこしようがないと匙さじを投なげた。
The doctor gave up, saying there was nothing more he could do.

スプーンN5
匙 is the traditional Japanese word, common in cooking measurements like 大さじ・小さじ, while スプーン is the modern loanword used for Western-style spoons in everyday dining.

本ほんN5
spoons are conventionally counted as long, slender objects with 本 in everyday usage.

The reading さじ is native Japanese, while しゃじ is a later borrowing from Chinese. The kanji 匙 originally referred to a spoon or ladle.

さじ

Usage40%

Kana spelling is common; usually written in kana.

サジUsage19%

匕Usage2%

かいUsage1%

out-dated reading

しゃじ

Alternate reading; less common than さじ.