How to use Chopsticks

Key Points

Learn how to use chopsticks

Chopsticks are a pretty versatile eating utensil. It’s a fork, knife, pair of tongs, a whisk—all rolled into one. For the last decade, chopsticks have celebrated their very own day. February 6 is known as Chopstick Day. To some, using this eating utensil is a mystery, while others pick them up with ease. Used for thousands of years in Asia, chopsticks have made their way across the world.

If you didn’t grow up using them, they can be a bit of a challenge. So here’s our step-by-step guide on how to use chopsticks:

Step 1: Hold your dominant hand loosely. Place the first chopstick (close to the top of the utensil) in the area between your pointer finger and thumb along with the first chopstick, towards the knuckle of the thumb. The bottom of the stick should rest on the ring finger.

Step 2: Place the second chopstick (close to the top of the utensil) in the area between your pointer finger and thumb towards the knuckle of the pointer finger. The bottom of the stick should rest on the middle finger.

Step 3: Close the thumb to cover both chopsticks to provide stability. The second chopstick remains more or less stationary. The index and middle fingers do all the heavy lifting with the second chopstick. 

Step 4: Using your index and middle fingers to move the top chopstick up and down, open up your chopsticks. Then close them over the food. Remember to keep your hand loose while maintaining control over the chopsticks. Once you’ve got a good grip, go ahead and pick up your food item.

Practice makes perfect so if you don’t pick it up right away, keep trying. Pick small solid food that you can practice on and in no time you’ll be a pro.