animal glue; gelatinous glue
Refers to a traditional glue made by boiling animal bones, hides, or fish parts. Used in woodworking, crafts, and traditional painting.
In Japanese painting, animal glue is used to bind pigments.
This adhesive is mainly made of animal glue.
gluing; glue application
Standard kanji spelling for animal-based glue.
Kana spelling is common in everyday contexts, especially when the kanji is considered difficult.
The kanji 膠 is composed of 肉 (meat/flesh) and 翏 (a phonetic component), reflecting its origin from animal tissues. The reading にかわ is of native Japanese origin, possibly related to 煮皮 (にかわ, 'boiled hide'), though the exact derivation is uncertain.