There are as many table manners in Japan as it is difficult for even Japanese to remember. In Japan, tradition of table manners has inherited since ancient times as the one that shows person’s dignity.

Japanese table manners have been established in 13th century by Dogen who is Buddha priest in Kamakura period. He regulated detailed table manners for disciples in Temple. According to Fushuku-Hanpo = “赴粥飯法” which is a table manner book created by Dogen, it covers all the table manners which we Japanese usually care about nowadays. For example, “don’t eat with your elbows on the table” and “don’t make noise while you eat.”

This time, I want to tell you the things you must not do with your chopsticks.

Speaking of chopsticks, I think nobody doesn’t know how it can be used. So I don’t even need to explain how to use it. You know, learning table manners, a shorter way to remember it is to always start from learning its prohibition. Let’s start learning.

渡し箸 (Watashibashi)

Watashi “渡し” means crossing and Bashi “箸” means chopsticks.
It means putting chopsticks on a dish or a rice bowl. If you put chopsticks on a dish, you indicate no more to eat halfway.

Even if you finish your meal, not put chopsticks directly on a dish or a bowl but you should put it on Chopstick rest. So no matter when you have a meal, you need to prepare a chopstick rest beforehand. This is a official table manner.

寄せ箸(Yose-bashi)

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Catching the edge of a dish or a bowl and dragging it to your place. It gives me disgraceful impression if I see the scene that someone drags one of tablewares with chopsticks.

If you want to take dishes placed far away from your place, you should ask some to pass it to you.

横箸(Yoko-bashi)

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Holding chopsticks like putting it together and scooping up like a spoon. Don’t be lazy about using a spoon.

迷い箸(Mayoi-bashi)

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Moving your chopsticks around dishes because you can’t make up your mind which one to eat.

You need to be prepared to have meal deliciously with great gratitude to a person who made it. Behavior that you can’t decide what to eat from is looked as looking for which one is the most delicious one to eat. This may make a person who prepared food feel bad.

You decide what to eat in advance before holding your chopsticks up over dishes

もぎ箸(Mogi-Bashi)

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Plucking some grains of rice sticking to your chopsticks with your mouth. Not doing this, you should eat soup first to wet your chopsticks to avoid rice from sticking to it.

持ち箸(Mochi-Bashi)

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Picking up a bowl or a dish with a hand that already holds chopsticks.

Holding a dish or a bowl and chopsticks in one hand is really unstable enough to spilt out its content sooner or later.

If you hold your chopsticks in your right hand, needless to say, you should pick up a dish or a bowl with your left hand.

箸渡し(Hashi-watashi)

Passing or receiving food from chopsticks to chopsticks. When you pick up remains after cremation at funeral, you pick up and pass remains from your chopsticks to other’s as a traditional rite of funeral

This behavior is strongly associated with a funeral ceremony. So it is not graceful.

Moreover, from the view point of sanitary supervision, it is no good to pass foods to others by your chopsticks.

撥ね箸(Hane-bashi)

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Putting aside a food which you don’t like to eat to the edge of a dish

This behavior is disgraceful to a person who prepared dishes for you. If there is something you don’t like to eat in the menu, you just let him/her know beforehand.

二人箸(Futari-bashi)

Picking up foods with double chopsticks by two people.

No matter how much you love your partner, it is no good for you to pick up food as a joint work. Please use your chopsticks not for others but for yourself

振り上げ箸(Furiage-bashi)

Raising your chopsticks to higher than the back of the hand

A piece of food or a drop of soup sticking to your chopsticks may be dropped to an unexpected place.

Someone feels really bad because you behavior is sometimes looked as indicating him/her by your chopsticks

振り箸(Furi-bashi)

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Shaking off a drop of soup sticking to chopsticks.

舐り箸(Neburi-bashi)

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Licking chopsticks. Please ask your conscience if this behavior is graceful.

涙箸(Namida-bashi)

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Bringing a food with chopsticks to your mouth as dripping down. “Namida” means tears. Looks of chopsticks holding dripping food is a metaphor that chopsticks cry.

Make sure all juice coming out of a food is dropped in a dish to some extent before bringing it to your mouth.

握り箸(Nigiri-bashi)

Grabbing chopsticks.

Traditionally, grabbing chopsticks during meal time is a sign to start attacking.

叩き箸(Tataki-bashi)

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Make a noice by beating a bowl with chopsticks like a instrument and call somebody with this sound.

In Japan, beating a bowl chopsticks is a behavior to invite an evil spirit

立て箸(Tate-Bashi)

Sticking chopsticks into a rice and standing it. There is a funeral rite that offers rice bowl with sticking chopsticks to altar. This is really taboo to do during meal.

違い箸(Chigai-Bashi)

Using a pair of chopsticks that are made of different materials each other. In funeral, when picking up remains after cremation, a pair of chopsticks that are made of different materials each other. One chopstick is made of bamboo and the other one is made of wood

ちぎり箸(Chigiri-Bashi)

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Holding one chopstick with your left hand and other one with your right hand like you hold a knife and a fork.

By the way. Chigiri means tearing apart. Originally, A pair of chopsticks should be counted as one.

探り箸 (Saguri-Bashi)

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String foods with your chopsticks to find something you look for

指し箸(Sashi-Bashi)

Indicating someone or something with your chopsticks

刺し箸(Sashi-Bashi)

Stabbing a food with your chopsticks. It looks more like you check how well it is cooked. It is really rude to a person preparing dishes for you to check how foods look like.

直箸(Jika-Bashi)

Picking up foods from a help-yourself style large plate directly with your chopsticks and without using serving chopsticks.

せせり箸(Seseri-Bashi)

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Cleaning up your interdental space with your chopsticks instead of a tooth pick.

膳ごし(Zengoshi)

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Picking up a food with your chopsticks from a dish placed far away from you without bringing it closer to you

揃え箸(Soroe-Bashi)

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Tapping chopsticks on a table to line up the tips of chopsticks

返し箸(Kaeshi-Bashi)

Using upside of chopsticks to pick up a food from a help-yourself style large plate. Don’t be lazy but to use serving chopsticks

掻き箸(Kaki-Bashi)

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Putting your mouth directly to a dish and bolting down a food

噛み箸(Kami-Bashi)

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Biting chopsticks

空箸(Kara-Bashi)

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Returning a food back which you already touch with your chopsticks

咥え箸(Kuwae-Bashi)

Holding chopsticks in your mouth

こじ箸(Koji-Bashi)

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Picking up something you like to eat by stirring all the foods inside a bowl or a dish.

込み箸(Komi-Bashi)

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Having your mouth full and pushing more foods back of your mouth with you chopsticks

落とし箸(Otoshi-Bashi)

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Dropping your chopsticks to a floor when you are eating

拝み箸(Ogami-Bashi)

Joining your hands together and putting chopsticks between indicate fingers and thumbs

受け箸(Uke-Bashi)

Asking for having another helping while you hold chopsticks

洗い箸(Arai-Bashi)

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Washing your chopsticks with a soup

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