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粘土 (ねんど, nendo) Japanese meaning: clay | Kotomora
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The children made animal shapes out of clay.
The soil in this area is clayey.
Usage patterns 粘ねん 土ど をこねる to knead/work clay
The children kneaded clay and shaped it into animals.
粘ねん 土ど で 〈 物もの 〉 を 作つく る to make something out of clay
In art class, I made a vase out of clay.
粘ねん 土ど が 乾かわ く for clay to dry/harden
Once the clay dries, it becomes hard.
Kanji 粘 sticky, glutinous, greasy Related words 土 is the general word for soil or earth, while 粘土 specifically means clay with its sticky, moldable texture.
陶土 is refined potter's clay used specifically for making ceramics, whereas 粘土 is the general term for any clay.
粘土 is the native Japanese word for clay used in everyday and craft contexts, while クレー is a loanword favored in artistic, sculptural, or technical settings.
Etymology The kanji 粘 means 'sticky' and 土 means 'earth/soil', together forming 'sticky earth'. The reading ねんど is the standard Sino-Japanese on'yomi. The rare readings ねばつち, へなつち, and へな are native Japanese kun'yomi or mixed readings, now largely obsolete.
埴へな 土つち
Rare alternative kanji form; not commonly used in modern Japanese.
埴へな
Rare single-character form; mostly found in classical or specialized contexts.
