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Kotomora

陶

pottery, porcelain

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes11

Readings

On'yomi

  • トウ

Kun'yomi

  • すえ

Nanori

  • す

Meaning

陶 centers on shaped clay: pottery and porcelain. The idea extends to molding or refining something, as clay is shaped and fired.

Most common words using 陶

20 of 40
  • 陶器とうき
    N1

    pottery; earthenware; ceramics; (soft-paste) porcelain; china

  • 陶芸とうげい
    N1

    ceramic art; ceramics

  • 鬱陶しいうっとうしい
    N2

    gloomy (e.g. mood); depressing

  • 陶すえ

    pottery; earthenware; ceramics; porcelain

  • 陶磁器とうじき

    ceramics; pottery and porcelain

  • 陶酔とうすい
    N1

    intoxication

  • 陶磁とうじ

    clay

  • 陶工とうこう

    potter; ceramist; ceramicist

  • 薫陶くんとう

    education; training; discipline

  • 陶板とうばん

    ceramic tile; ceramic panel; porcelain tile

  • 陶土とうど

    potter's clay; kaolin; china clay

  • 陶製とうせい

    ceramics

  • 製陶せいとう

    porcelain manufacturing

  • 作陶さくとう

    porcelain making; ceramics making; pottery making

  • 古陶ことう

    old pottery; antique porcelain

  • 大阪市立東洋陶磁美術館おおさかしりつとうようとうじびじゅつかん

    Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka

  • 奥陶紀おうとうき

    Ordovician period

  • 常滑市立陶芸研究所とこなめしりつとうげいけんきゅうじょ

    Tokoname Ceramic-Art Laboratory

  • 硬質陶器こうしつとうき

    ironstone china

  • 自己陶酔じことうすい

    narcissism; self-absorption; self-intoxication

Explore all words using 陶 →

Study

Etymology

陶 combines ⻖ (mound, hill) with 匋, which is related to pottery or kilns. The character likely refers to the clay mounds or kilns used in pottery making.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side ⻖ suggests a mound of clay, and the right side 匋 looks like a kiln with a pot inside. Picture shaping clay from the mound and firing it in the kiln to make pottery.

Reading mnemonic

For トウ, imagine a potter's toe pressing the clay on the wheel: toe -> トウ, shaping the pottery.