sandwich · insert

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 挟 has 9 strokes and the on-reading きょう. 挟む (はさむ) and 挟まる (はさまる) distinguish putting something between things from it being caught between them.
• Basic usage: 挟む is transitive and describes inserting something between things; 挟まる is intransitive and describes something becoming wedged between them.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Insertion, being wedged, and the passive form
  • しおりを挟む means to insert a bookmark. 写真が挟まっていた describes a photograph being caught between things.
  • 二つの建物に挟まれた uses the passive of 挟む to describe a road between two buildings. 指が挟まらないよう uses the negative of 挟まる in a warning not to get a finger caught.