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粘土 (ねんど) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Meanings 1
noun
clay
Refers to the natural earthy material used in pottery, sculpture, and construction. The reading ねんど is standard; ねばつち, へなつち, and へな are rare or archaic.
ねん
土ど
質しつ
だ
。
The soil in this area is clayey.
Kanji 粘 sticky, glutinous, greasy Similar words 土つち 土 is a broader term for soil, earth, or ground, while 粘土 specifically refers to clay with its sticky, moldable properties.
陶とう 土ど 陶土 is potter's clay, a refined type of clay used specifically for ceramics, whereas 粘土 is the general term for clay.
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.
