also: さもじ
rice scoop; wooden spoon; ladle
A flat wooden paddle used for serving rice, often with a non-stick surface. Common in Japanese kitchens.
I scooped the rice with the rice paddle and put it in the bowl.
I fluff the freshly cooked rice with a rice scoop.
To keep rice from sticking to the scoop, wet it with water before using.
I stirred the freshly cooked rice with the paddle to fluff it up.
杓子 is the general word for a dipper or ladle of any shape, while しゃもじ specifically refers to the flat wooden paddle used for rice.
Used because a 杓文字 (rice paddle) has a long, thin handle, like other 本-counted slender objects.
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 杓文字 is rare.
Rare kanji spelling; the word is normally written in kana.
Rarely used kana form; しゃもじ is the standard reading.
A word of traditional women’s speech formed from the first part of 杓子, “ladle,” plus 文字, a conventional suffix in such vocabulary.