壜
bottle, vial, jar
Strokes19
Readings
On'yomi
- ドン
- タン
Kun'yomi
- びん
Meaning
壜 centers on a container for liquids or small items: a bottle, vial, or jar. The meanings all point to a vessel with a narrow opening.
Most common words using 壜
- 安壜やすびん
cheap bottle (e.g. of alcohol)
Study
Etymology
壜 is a phono-semantic compound: 土 (earth, clay) suggests a clay vessel, and 曇 likely contributes the sound ドン. The character is a later-formed variant for bottle or jar.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 土 (earth) represents clay, and the right side 曇 (cloudy) can be thought of as a cloudy glass bottle. Imagine a clay bottle with a cloudy appearance, used as a jar or vial.
Reading mnemonic
For ドン, picture a heavy clay bottle dropping with a loud 'don' sound: don -> ドン, and the bottle stays intact.