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Kanji Detail for 墨 - "ink, black"

墨

  • Meaning

    墨 means "ink, black." Also associated with calligraphy.

    1. Ink - Black ink used for writing and painting; Chinese ink.

    2. Calligraphy - Written or painted works using ink.

    3. Black - Dark in color; ink-colored.

    4. Ink line - A carpenter's tool for drawing straight lines.

    5. Tattoo - Permanent marks made with ink on skin.

  • Words using 墨

    • 入れ墨 いれずみ Listen tattoo (esp. a traditional Japanese one); tattooing
    • お墨付き おすみつき Listen certificate; certified document; authorization

  • Four-character idioms with 墨

    • 墨痕淋漓 ぼっこんりんり Listen in bold, vivid brush strokes
    • 文人墨客 ぶんじんぼっかく Listen writers and artists; persons who take delight in such refined pursuits as poetry, literature, painting and calligraphy
    • 旧套墨守 きゅうとうぼくしゅ Listen clinging to old customs; adhering to old traditions

  • Tattoo check: 墨

    • Verified meaning: ink, black
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read すえお, すみ, すみさき, のりかず)
    • Also carries these associations: calligraphy

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 墨

    Surnames 墨(すえお)Listen 墨(すみ)Listen 墨(すみさき)Listen 墨(のりかず)Listen 墨(ぼく)Listen

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    black ink; India ink; ink stick; Mexico

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    ink; writing

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Mo; abbr. for 墨西哥[Mo4 xi1 ge1], Mexico

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    ink; writing; Mexico

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Black color. (Mencius) "Face deeply darkened." Meaning in mourning, the face appears dark. | Black pigment. Made from soot. That produced in old Huizhou Prefecture, Anhui, is most famous, called 徽墨. Often used for writing. Hence a calligrapher's handwriting is called 墨寶 (ink treasure). | 墨刑: One of the ancient five punishments. Tattooing characters on the face and filling them with black ink. | 貪墨: Referring to corrupt officials who take bribes and twist the law. Also called 墨吏. | During the Warring States, there was Mozi. He taught universal love. All who follow Mozi's teachings are called 墨. Such as 儒墨 (Confucians and Mohists). | A country name. Abbreviation for Mexico. In North America, southwest of the United States. The eagle dollars commonly used in old times were minted there, hence also called 墨銀.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    boku(ボク) ボク

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    sumi(すみ) すみ

  • Strokes

    tip

    14 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    土 (tsuchi・tsuchihen・dohen)

  • Related Keywords

    ink calligraphy black imprisonment tattoo inkstone brush sumi writing painting monochrome dark traditional

Sentences including 墨

  • Do you have a tattoo?

  • The artist drew with Chinese ink.

  • Is that a real tattoo?

  • His body was covered with tattoos.

  • Tom had a heart tattooed on his arm.

  • She has a tattoo of a lizard on her thigh.

  • India ink produces an interesting pattern when used as a dye.

  • I'm really glad Mei gave me her endorsement.

  • I wonder what the person who cooked with squid ink for the first time was thinking.

  • When I was very young, my father died. His younger brother, due to the vicissitudes of the times and to his own laziness, dissipated his own fortune and afterwards became a peddler of writing materials. He often came to our house, but when he came, my mother would scold him and he would be troubled.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 土 (tsuchi・tsuchihen・dohen)

See all kanji with this radical →

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