臼うす搗づく

also: うすつく

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

pound grain in a mortar

archaic

Archaic verb for pounding rice or other grains in a mortar (usu) with a pestle. Not used in modern everyday speech; encountered in historical or traditional contexts.

昔むかしは米こめを臼うす搗づいた。
In the old days, people pounded rice in a mortar.

Written forms

臼搗く
- うすづく
  Standard kanji spelling for the reading うすづく.
- うすつく
  Alternate reading うすつく; restricted to the kanji forms 臼搗く and 舂く.
臼うすづく
Kana-mixed spelling; the 搗 kanji is uncommon and may be replaced with kana.
舂く
- うすづく
  Alternate kanji for pounding grain; very rare in modern use.
- うすつく
  Alternate reading うすつく; restricted to the kanji forms 臼搗く and 舂く.
うすつく

Kanji

臼mortar
搗pound, husk
舂pound (mortar), sink, set (sun)

Similar words

搗つく
Modern verb for pounding or hulling grain; 臼搗く is an archaic compound with the same meaning.
臼うす
Noun meaning mortar or millstone; 臼搗く literally means 'to pound with a mortar'.

Etymology

Compound of 臼 (usu, 'mortar') + 搗く (tsuku, 'to pound'). The reading うすづく is a rendaku form of うすつく.