hashi

Hashi is a romanization of a Japanese word that can refer to more than one common object or concept, depending on the kanji used. The two most common meanings are chopsticks, written with the character 箸, and bridge, written with 橋.

Chopsticks, or hashi (箸), are slender eating utensils used in Japan and much of East Asia. They are typically made of wood or bamboo, though plastic or metal variants exist. They are used in pairs to pick up food and to transfer it to the mouth, with the utensils held in one hand during meals.

Bridge, or hashi (橋), is a structure built to span a gap such as a river or road, connecting two sides. The term appears in everyday language and is common in place names and signage in Japan and other East Asian contexts. In English-language writing, the word is often clarified by context to distinguish it from chopsticks.

Hashi is also the short name of a popular pencil-and-paper logic puzzle, also called Hashiwokakero or Bridges. In this puzzle, numbered islands are placed on a grid. Each island’s number indicates how many bridges must connect to it. Bridges run only horizontally or vertically and no more than two bridges can connect the same pair of islands. Bridges may not cross, and every island must be connected to form a single network. The puzzle is associated with the Nikoli puzzle company and has gained international popularity as a brain teaser.