1.
tea whisk; bamboo whisk used to prepare matcha
A small whisk carved from a single piece of bamboo, with fine tines splayed outward, used in the Japanese tea ceremony to whisk powdered green tea (抹茶) into hot water. The splitting of the bamboo into many thin tines is what gives the whisk its characteristic shape and frothing ability.
Compound of 茶 ('tea') and 筅 ('whisk; brush'). The character 筅 is used almost exclusively in this word.
Usage
- Tightly associated with the tea ceremony (茶道). The whisk is one of the core utensils alongside 茶碗 ('tea bowl'), 茶杓 ('tea scoop'), and 棗 ('tea caddy').
- The verb for using a tea whisk to prepare matcha is 点てる, as in お茶を点てる ('to make tea [in the ceremonial way]'). Using 入れる ('to brew') with 茶筅 sounds unnatural.
- Number of tines varies by school and style: 数穂 (many tines, ~80) for everyday use vs. fewer-tined whisks for thicker 濃茶.
Common collocations
- 茶筅で点てる: to whisk (matcha) with a chasen
- 茶筅を振る: to move the whisk (in the whisking motion)
- 茶筅を湿らせる: to moisten the whisk
- 茶筅通し: the preparatory step of warming and inspecting the whisk
- 新品の茶筅: a brand-new tea whisk
Similar words
- 茶杓: tea scoop — the bamboo scoop used to measure matcha powder out of the caddy.
- 茶碗: tea bowl — in the tea ceremony, the bowl in which the matcha is whisked; in everyday life, also 'rice bowl'.
- 抹茶: matcha — the powdered green tea that is whisked with a 茶筅.
- 泡立て器: (ordinary) whisk — a Western-style wire whisk used in cooking; not a substitute for 茶筅 in the tea ceremony.
Related Words
Compare:
茶杓 (tea scoop)
Compare:
茶碗 (tea bowl)
Compare:
抹茶 (matcha)
Compare:
泡立て器 ((ordinary) whisk)