おたま（おたま、otama）
- ladle

The Japanese word おたま, written in hiragana as おたま, refers to a ladle or a serving spoon, specifically used for scooping and serving liquids like soup, stew, or sauces. It typically has a deep, bowl-shaped head attached to a long handle. The おたま is an essential kitchen utensil.

⚫︎お味噌汁をおたまでよそってください。 Translation: Please serve the miso soup with a ladle. ⚫︎カレーをおたまで皿に盛りました。 Translation: I put the curry on the plate with a ladle. ⚫︎そのシチューは熱いので、おたまを使ってください。 Translation: That stew is hot, so please use the ladle.

You use おたま when you are serving food that is liquid or semi-liquid. It's common to use it when dishing up soup, stew, sauces, or even rice porridge. You would typically use the おたま to transfer the food from the pot or cooking vessel to individual bowls or plates.

おたま is usually written in hiragana. There isn't a common kanji for おたま.

There aren't many direct synonyms for おたま in Japanese, as it's a very specific kitchen tool. Words such as レードル (rēdoru), borrowed from English "ladle", are sometimes used but are not exactly synonymous. The closest equivalent would be a general word for a type of spoon used for serving, but this wouldn't be as precise.

There aren't really antonyms for おたま, as it is a concrete object.

今日の夕食は、野菜スープなので、おたまが必要です。 ・Translation: For dinner tonight, we're having vegetable soup, so we need a ladle. ・Explanation: This sentence explains the need for a ladle when serving vegetable soup.

熱い鍋からシチューをおたまで取り分ける。 ・Translation: To serve stew from a hot pot with a ladle. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of using a ladle to serve stew from a hot pot.

The etymology of おたま is not definitively known, but it is believed to be derived from the shape and function of the tool. The "o" is a common honorific prefix. "Tama" (玉) means "ball" or "sphere" referring to the bowl-like head of the ladle.