笊

Semantic–phonetic compound:

竹 (“bamboo”) — semantic component, bamboo was the standard material for baskets, sieves, and strainers.

爪 (“claw; to grasp”) — phonetic component, provides the sound 조, and contributes a sense of “grasping / scooping.”

Thus 笊 originally depicted a bamboo implement used for scooping or straining.

조리 (笊籬) — traditional bamboo strainer for rice

조리하다 (derived expression) — to drain or wash (esp. rice)

Note: the modern Korean word ‘조리’ (kitchen, cooking) is unrelated etymologically.

笊 is almost always seen together with 籬 → 笊籬, both in Korean and Chinese, meaning a woven bamboo strainer.

In Japanese culture, the zaru is iconic in food presentation (e.g., soba dishes), and the character 笊 is especially associated with that utensil.

The character is rarely used metaphorically, but sometimes appears in regional Chinese texts to describe something full of holes or loosely woven, like a sieve.