chopstick

IPA/ˈtʃɒpstɪk/
KK[tʃˈɑpstˌɪk]IPA/ˈtʃɑːpstɪk/

chopstick — noun

  • chopsticksingular
  • chopsticksplural

1. A thin stick, always used in pairs, for picking up and holding food — common in

1.nounA2
Definition

A thin stick, always used in pairs, for picking up and holding food — common in East Asian dining.

Example

Yuki showed her young nephew the right way to hold chopsticks at the dinner table.

almost always plural: 'chopsticks', not 'a chopstick'

The small restaurant had a box of clean chopsticks near the front door.

collocation: clean chopsticks / wooden chopsticks

Common collocations
  • hold chopsticks
  • use chopsticks
  • pick up (food) with chopsticks
  • a pair of chopsticks
  • wooden chopsticks
  • disposable chopsticks
  • lacquered chopsticks
  • bamboo chopsticks
  • eat with chopsticks

Grammar Patterns

a pair of chopsticks

eat (food) with chopsticks

pick up (food) with chopsticks

Usage Note

Almost always used in the plural form 'chopsticks'. The singular 'chopstick' is rare and refers to just one stick from a pair.

Common Mistakes

I ate rice with a chopstick.
I ate rice with chopsticks.
the word is almost always plural, even when talking about one pair.
She used chopstick to eat noodles.
She used chopsticks to eat noodles.
always use the plural form.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

  • a pair of chopsticks
  • wooden chopsticks
  • disposable chopsticks
  • lacquered chopsticks
  • bamboo chopsticks
  • plastic chopsticks
  • metal chopsticks

Phrases

  • hold chopsticks
  • use chopsticks
  • pick up (food) with chopsticks
  • eat with chopsticks

Prepositions

  • with chopsticks

Etymology

Cantonese (via Pidgin English)English

The word 'chopstick' comes from Chinese Pidgin English, where 'chop' meant 'quick' (from Cantonese 急 kap). British sailors and traders in 17th-century Canton added the English word 'stick' to describe these quick little sticks used for eating. The Chinese name 筷子 (kuàizi) has a completely separate origin and does not mean 'quick stick'.