About
The character 箸 (zhù) is a phono-semantic compound with a top-bottom structure. The upper component is the semantic radical 竹 (zhú), meaning bamboo, which indicates the material historically used for this eating utensil. The lower component 者 (zhě) serves as the phonetic element, providing the sound "zhu". 箸 is the classical term for chopsticks in East Asia, though in modern Mandarin it is largely replaced by 筹子 (kuàizi), surviving mainly in dialects, historical texts, and some formal compounds.
Etymology Hide
