1.
tea scoop; slender bamboo scoop used to measure matcha powder
A narrow, slightly curved utensil — usually carved from a single piece of bamboo — used in the Japanese tea ceremony to scoop powdered green tea (抹茶) from the caddy into the tea bowl. Although simple in appearance, 茶杓 are valued as art objects, often given poetic names (銘) by their makers or owners.
Compound of 茶 ('tea') and 杓 ('ladle; scoop'). Historically, tea was measured with ivory or metal scoops; the bamboo 茶杓 was popularized by 千利休 and remains the standard utensil today.
Usage
- A core tea-ceremony utensil, ranked among the 茶道具 alongside 茶筅 ('tea whisk') and 茶碗 ('tea bowl').
- Each 茶杓 is often given a 銘, a poetic name chosen to match the season or theme of the gathering (茶会).
- One scoop is traditionally taken as one serving of matcha; adjustments are made for strong tea (濃茶) vs. thin tea (薄茶).
Common collocations
- 茶杓で抹茶をすくう: to scoop matcha with the tea scoop
- 茶杓の銘: the poetic name of a tea scoop
- 茶杓を削る: to carve a tea scoop
- 竹の茶杓: a bamboo tea scoop
- 利休作の茶杓: a tea scoop made by Rikyū
Similar words
- 茶筅: tea whisk — the companion bamboo utensil used to whisk matcha after it is scooped.
- 棗: tea caddy — the lacquered container that holds the powdered tea from which the 茶杓 scoops.
- 杓子: ladle — a general-purpose scoop or ladle, especially for rice or soup; related but much larger and not tea-specific.
- スプーン: spoon — the everyday alternative for measuring tea in a non-ceremonial setting.