Kushi (skewer)
Bamboo and metal kushi (15 cm)
Kushi (串) are skewers used in Japanese cuisine to hold and pierce food for grilling and frying, such as yakitori. They range in length from about 15 to 30 cm. Kushi may be made of steel, bamboo, or other wood. The steel and wooden varieties are reusable, while those made from bamboo are usually only used once and discarded, thus street vendors usually dispense bamboo ones.
The Japanese kanji for kushi is 串, which is an example of a pictogram describing the meaning of the kanji.