openwork bamboo basket
A traditional bamboo basket with an open weave, used for draining, steaming, or displaying food. The name literally means 'eye basket', referring to the mesh-like openings.
母は目笊で野菜を洗った。
My mother washed the vegetables in an openwork bamboo basket.
この目笊は手作りで、とても丈夫だ。
This bamboo basket is handmade and very sturdy.
Standard kanji spelling for this bamboo basket.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; common in everyday writing.
Mixed katakana-kanji spelling; sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
Compound of 目 (me, 'eye; mesh') and 笊 (zaru, 'bamboo basket'), referring to the basket's openwork, eye-like pattern. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally associated with this meaning.