How To Hold Chopsticks A Quick Easy Guide To Doing It Right

If your chopsticks have a design on the thick end, this can help you figure out how far down to hold them. Just hold the chopstick so that the design ends just above the crook of your thumb.

Press your pointer finger on top of the second chopstick, just as you would if you were holding a pen. This is how you’ll open and close your chopsticks to grasp food and bring it to your mouth to eat.

Practice just closing the tips together to get used to the amount of pressure you need. If the tips cross, you’re using too much pressure—easy does it!

Japanese chopsticks are typically lacquered, which can make it harder for you to pick up slippery things until you’ve developed the dexterity to apply the correct pressure. Korean chopsticks are traditionally stainless steel. These chopsticks have the reputation for being the hardest to control, so save them until you really feel comfortable. [5] X Research source

If you find using them slightly embarrassing, just save them to practice by yourself at home. Eating snack foods with chopsticks is a good way to build dexterity until you can graduate to “real” ones.

Remember to keep the bottom chopstick still while you’re moving the top one. Hold it firmly enough in the crook of your thumb that it won’t slide down when you move your other fingers.

Start with something about the size of a piece of sushi and gradually move to smaller things as you build your dexterity.

If you’re having a tough time figuring out how much pressure you need, practice with small objects. For example, you might try picking up a cotton ball without squishing it.

Japanese rice, in particular, is usually sticky enough that it will stay in a clump and not fall through the gap in your chopsticks. But it’s still a good idea to keep them pretty close together.

If you do happen to see splinters, pull your chopsticks under the table and rub them discretely. You could also simply put them back in the sleeve and ask for more. When you’re done eating, slip your chopsticks back in the paper sleeve so they can be neatly disposed of. If you’re taking a break, you can also use the paper sleeve as a chopsticks rest.

In some Asian cultures, it’s considered rude to stir your food with your chopsticks or use them to tear food into smaller pieces. Asian food is prepared with the understanding that it will be eaten with chopsticks, so you’re usually not going to have to cut it into smaller pieces. If you do pick up a piece that’s bigger than you feel comfortable putting in your mouth at once, you’re totally allowed to take multiple bites off of it. Just keep it in your chopsticks the whole time—don’t take a bite off of it and then return it to your plate.

Chopsticks are intended to elegantly convey food to your mouth. You’ll seem more refined if your chopsticks touch your actual mouth as little as possible.

If you find serving chopsticks difficult to work with because of their size, work around it. Just wait until someone else is getting something, then hold up your plate so they can get you some as well. If you don’t have serving chopsticks, Hong Kong and Cantonese etiquette allow you to turn your personal chopsticks backward to get food from communal plates. Since that end hasn’t been in your mouth, it’s considered more sanitary. [15] X Research source Don’t transfer food with your chopsticks to someone else’s chopsticks. This is reminiscent of a funeral rite, so it’s a bad omen to do it at the table while eating. [16] X Research source

If you’re between courses or taking a break, use the chopsticks rest or place your chopsticks beside your plate or just along the edge. That way, no one will assume you’re done. Don’t leave your chopsticks standing straight up in a bowl of rice, either—especially not in Japan! This is a funeral ritual, and anything that invokes death or funerals is considered bad luck and is a big no-no. [18] X Research source