A traditional balance scale with a pan or dish for weighing items. Often used in markets or kitchens.
At the greengrocer's, I weighed the vegetables using a balance scale.
In old pharmacies, there was always a balance scale.
Most common spelling; uses 皿 (dish) + ばかり (scales), reflecting the pan-like weighing platform.
Alternate kanji spelling using 秤 (scales). Less common but still encountered.
Rare variant using 盤 (tray/board). Seldom used in modern writing.
Compound of 皿 (sara, 'dish') and ばかり (bakari, 'scales'), referring to the dish-like pan used for weighing.