Chinese ink; India ink
Refers to a solid ink stick used in East Asian calligraphy and painting, often imported from China. The reading からすみ is the most common; とうぼく is a rare Sino-Japanese reading.
In calligraphy class, we ground a Chinese ink stick and used it.
This Chinese ink stick has a very nice fragrance.
Standard kanji form for the reading からすみ.
The kanji 唐 (Tang/China) and 墨 (ink) indicate ink of Chinese origin. The reading からすみ is a Japanese adaptation, while とうぼく is the on'yomi reading. The exact historical derivation of からすみ is uncertain.