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.
My mother washed the vegetables in an openwork bamboo basket.
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.