まな(いた)

まないた
noun
cutting board, chopping board
1. cutting board, chopping board
A flat board used as a surface for cutting food in the kitchen.
まな(いた)(うえ)(にく)()る。
Cut meat on the cutting board.
まな(いた)漂白剤(ひょうはくざい)消毒(しょうどく)する。
Disinfect the cutting board with bleach.
まな(いた)(こい)
A carp on the cutting board. (Idiom: Someone who is at the mercy of others)
Describes helpless resignation to one's fate

Also written as 俎板(まないた) or (まないた) (rare).

Materials:

  • 木製(もくせい) (wooden) - traditional, gentle on knives
  • プラスチック(せい) (plastic) - easy to clean, affordable
  • ゴム(せい) (rubber) - quiet, knife-friendly
  • 抗菌(こうきん)タイプ (antibacterial type)

Many Japanese kitchens have separate boards for:

  • (にく)/(さかな)(よう) (meat/fish)
  • 野菜(やさい)(よう) (vegetables)

The idiom 「まな(いた)(こい)」 describes accepting one's fate helplessly, like a fish waiting to be prepared.