chopstick

American  

[chop-stik] / ˈtʃɒpˌstɪk /

noun

1. one of a pair of thin, tapered sticks, often of wood or ivory, held in one hand between the thumb and fingers and used chiefly in China, Japan, and other Asian countries for lifting food to the mouth.

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Etymology

Origin of chopstick

1690–1700; Chinese Pidgin English chop quick ( see chop-chop) + stick ¹

Explanation

Chopsticks are the two small sticks used for picking up and eating food in many Asian countries. When you eat at a sushi place, you can use chopsticks or your fingers. If you master using chopsticks, you'll feel comfortable eating in Chinese or Japanese restaurants. The two slender sticks, of equal length, are held between the first fingers and thumb and moved to grab morsels of food. Chopsticks are often made of bamboo, though they can also be plastic, wood, or metal. In China, it's considered bad manners to stick your chopsticks upright in your rice, while in Vietnam it's bad luck to lay them down in a V shape.

Example Sentences

I found her treasured chopstick holders that she displayed in her dining room wherever they lived.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

He came home one day after shooting “Curb” and told his wife, Joyce Lapinsky, that he wasn’t sure what he’d filmed, but it involved yelling and hurling a chopstick at David.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2024

To make the decoy meals, tightly roll a tender inner leaf of green cabbage around a chopstick or bamboo skewer, the almanac suggests.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 5, 2022

Five months after Nixon's "chopstick diplomacy", the New York Times published an article titled "Chinese Restaurants Flower Following Diplomatic Thaw".

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2021

While he smirked, Auntie Lindo demonstrated the proper technique, poking her chopstick into the orange spongy part: “You have to dig in here, get this out. The brain is most tastiest, you try.”

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan