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Kanji Detail for 墨 - "ink"

墨

  • Meaning

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

    1. Ink - Black substance used for writing and painting.

    2. Calligraphy - Works written or painted with ink.

  • 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

  • Origin of 墨

    土, earth, under 黒, black, which also lends the reading boku: black earth pressed into a stick. Ink — 水墨画 is ink painting, and 墨守 is stubborn adherence, after the philosopher Mozi.

    How to remember it: Black 黒 soot packed into earth 土 and dried hard — the ink stick.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 墨

    • Verified meaning: ink
    • Jinmeiyō kanji — officially approved for use in Japanese given names
    • 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, black

    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

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    India ink; ink stick; Mexico

  • Onyomi

    tip

    boku(ボク) ボク

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    sumi(すみ) すみ

  • Strokes

    tip

    15 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    土 (tsuchi・tsuchihen・dohen)

  • Related Keywords

    ink calligraphy black ink line tattoo brush drawing handwriting lettering painting paper pigment printing writing

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

See all kanji with this radical →

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