Junk

Junk, wooden sailing vessel of distinctive design used in East Asia. Junks are used as fishing vessels and for river transport, and sometimes as living quarters. The prow, which is the front of the ship, is broad and flat rather than pointed. The bottom of the boat is flat or has only a small keel, and the rudder is long. The vessel has a high poop deck. (A poop deck is a partial deck at the rear of the boat above the main deck.) Junks have high masts, most commonly three, with four-cornered, coarse cotton sails, called lugsails, braced flat by bamboo strips or battens. Long oars may also be used on the boats. Larger, more seaworthy junks, reaching a length of 22 m (70 ft) and a displacement of up to 100 tonnes, are used in coastal waters. The vessels are used mainly by the Chinese, Japanese, and Javanese.