How To Use Chopsticks [With Pictures] : A Beginner’s Guide

When you try to use chopsticks for the first time, do you find it difficult to hold and hard to use the chopsticks to grab the food?  Although many Asians learn how to use chopsticks from a young age, it is never too late to learn, even if you are an adult. The techniques of holding and using chopsticks to eat a meal are fascinating. When you master using chopsticks, you will be able to use them to eat rice, noodles, vegetables, sushi, and any small bites.

Learn how to use chopsticks like a pro! Our easy-to-follow guide with step-by-step pictures shows you how to hold, grip, and pick up food with chopsticks with picture explanation. Perfect for beginners and anyone looking to improve their chopstick skills.

How to Use Chopsticks (Explanation 1)

• You should hold your chopsticks at a point about two-thirds of the way up from the tips.
• Hold the top chopstick between your thumb and index finger and support it with your middle finger.
• Your other chopstick should be placed firmly against where your thumb and index finger meet, with it supported against the fingernail on your ring finger.
• Hold the chopstick at different angles if necessary in order to feel comfortable with two sticks between your fingers.
• If you can use them dexterously by only moving the upper chopstick, you’ve got perfect chopstick manners.

How to Use Chopsticks (Explanation 2)

1.  Hold your dominant hand as though you are going to shake hands with someone.
2. Put the first chopstick under your thumb, resting it on the palm.
3. Hold the second stick between your thumb and forefinger.
4. Bend your ring finger and little finger, and tuck the ring finger under the lower chopstick.
5. Put your middle finger under the top stick.
6. Move the top stick up and down to grip food.

Chopsticks Styles and How To Choose Chopsticks?

There are several styles of chopsticks. You can consider the material, tapering, length, and function and embellishments to choose the chopsticks you like to use for your meal.

• Material: Chopsticks are made from a variety of materials – bamboo, plastic, wood, bone, metal, jade, and ivory.
• Tapering: The end of the chopsticks for picking up food is tapered, either to blunt (Chinese style) or pointed (Japanese style) ends.Blunt chopsticks provide more surface area for holding food and for pushing rice into the mouth.Pointed chopsticks allow for easier manipulation of food and for picking out bones from cooked fish.
• Length & Function: Very long chopsticks, usually about 30 or 40 centimeters, are used for cooking, especially for deep frying foods.Shorter chopsticks are generally used as eating utensils but are also used for cooking.
• Embellishments: Wooden or bamboo chopsticks can be painted or lacquered to decorate them and make them waterproof. Metal chopsticks are sometimes roughened or scribed on the tapered end to make them less slippery when picking up foods. Higher priced metal chopstick pairs are sometimes connected by a short chain at the untapered end to prevent their separation.