Standard modern meaning; a small stick for cleaning teeth.
See also: 爪楊枝
After the meal, I used a toothpick.
tea ceremony skewer
A small skewer used in the Japanese tea ceremony to cut and serve sweets. Often made of wood or bamboo.
See also: 黒文字
Historical meaning: a toothbrush originally made from a frayed willow twig. Not used in modern Japanese for a modern toothbrush (歯ブラシ).
See also: 歯ブラシ
In the tea ceremony, you take sweets with a skewer.
In the old days, people brushed their teeth with a willow twig toothbrush.
楊枝 (toothpick) is another exact homophone of 用事 (errand), distinguished only by context and kanji.
Standard kanji spelling for toothpick and related items.
Kana spelling; common in everyday writing.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 楊枝.
From Chinese 楊枝 (yángzhī), literally 'willow branch'. The toothpick was originally made from a willow twig, and the name persisted even as materials changed.