Why do Japanese recipes sometimes say 玉子 instead of 卵?

[Leebo]

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Special kanji words derived from other words

Continuing from here, in this topic we can discuss kanji that become their own words, that are clearly derived from simpler kanji/words. For example, 掌(てのひら) (meaning palm of one’s hand), is literally 手の平. Let’s gather all of these interesting kanji that fit this pattern. When the origin isn’t a valid spelling, dictionaries like Goo will sometimes mention the origin. For example, the entry for 湖 says 《「水海」の意》. Origin is a valid alternative spelling: Word Reading Origin 碑 いしぶみ 石文 彩る …