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Kotomora

瓦

tile, gram

StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes5

Readings

On'yomi

  • ガ

Kun'yomi

  • かわら
  • ぐらむ

Meaning

瓦 centers on a baked clay tile, especially a roof tile. The 'gram' meaning is a modern phonetic borrowing unrelated to the tile sense.

Most common words using 瓦

20 of 47
  • 煉瓦れんが
    N2

    brick

  • 瓦かわら
    N2

    tile (e.g. roof)

  • 瓦礫がれき

    rubble; debris; wreckage; tiles and pebbles

  • 瓦解がかい

    collapse; downfall

  • 青瓦台せいがだい

    Blue House (official residence of the president of South Korea); Cheong Wa Dae

  • 鬼瓦おにがわら

    decorative ridge-end tile (traditionally bearing the face of a demon and resembling a gargoyle)

  • 瓦葺きかわらぶき

    tile-roofing

  • シャモット煉瓦シャモットれんが

    chamotte brick

  • セメント瓦セメントがわら

    cement roof tile; cement tile

  • 丸瓦まるがわら

    convex roof tile

  • 化粧煉瓦けしょうれんが

    ornamental tile; facing bricks

  • 土崩瓦解どほうがかい

    complete collapse; (something) going to pieces (breaking up beyond repair)

  • 天日瓦てんじつがわら

    sun-dried brick; adobe

  • 屋根瓦やねがわら

    roof tile

  • 巴瓦ともえがわら

    comma-pattern tile

  • 平瓦ひらがわら

    concave roof tile

  • 日本瓦斯にっぽんがす

    Nippon Gas

  • 木煉瓦もくれんが

    wooden block

  • 桟瓦さんがわら

    pantile

  • 棟瓦むながわら

    ridge tile

Explore all words using 瓦 →

Study

Etymology

瓦 is a pictograph of a roof tile, with the modern form preserving a stylized tile shape. The 'gram' reading is a modern phonetic loan unrelated to the original meaning.

Meaning mnemonic

The shape looks like two overlapping roof tiles with a small connecting piece. Picture a tiled roof: 瓦 is a tile.

Reading mnemonic

For ガ, imagine a tile falling and making a sharp 'ga' sound as it hits the ground: ga -> ガ.