also: うけ · せん · あげ
noun
cylindrical bamboo fish trap
Traditional Japanese fishing tool: a cylindrical basket made of bamboo, placed in rivers to catch fish. The word is not common in everyday conversation and is mostly encountered in historical or cultural contexts.
昔の漁師は川に筌を仕掛けて魚を捕った。
Fishermen long ago set bamboo fish traps in rivers to catch fish.
この資料館には江戸時代の筌が展示されている。
This museum displays bamboo fish traps from the Edo period.
Rare on'yomi reading; mostly encountered in historical or technical contexts.
Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.
The kanji 筌 is composed of 竹 (bamboo) and 全 (complete/whole), suggesting a bamboo tool that encloses fish. The exact historical derivation of the readings is uncertain.