【 耳かき・mimikaki 】ear pick, ear scoop
耳かき is an ear pick that has a small scoop on one end to clean the ear. 耳(みみ) (mimi) is “ear,” and 掻(か)く (kaku) is “to scratch, scoop, scrape” — hence 耳掻き (mimikaki). A traditional 耳かき is made of bamboo and has a down puff on the other end to give the ear a final dust-off.
The ear pick seems to be more common in East Asia since Asians tend to have dry ear wax while other ethnicities have wet ear wax. Did you know that which type you get depends on a gene?
