also: つくりがわ
noun
leather; tanned animal hide
Only with reading つくりかわ
Refers specifically to tanned animal hide used as a material. The reading つくりかわ is standard for this meaning.
この鞄は上質な革で作られている。
This bag is made of high-quality leather.
noun
kanji 'leather' radical (radical 177)
Only with reading つくりがわ
Used when referring to the kanji radical 革, typically in discussions about kanji components. The reading つくりがわ is associated with this sense.
「革」 is one of the kanji radicals, called つくりがわ.
皮 generally means raw skin or peel, while 革 (つくりかわ) specifically means tanned leather.
The reading つくりかわ is a compound of 作り (つくり, 'made') and 皮 (かわ, 'skin/hide'), literally 'processed hide'. The kanji 革 is used for tanned leather.