銅 means “copper”

どう · dou

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

あかがね

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ドウ

Taught in grade 5 · 14 strokes

The story

Metal (金) from the same (同) earth: copper, the first metal humans learned to work. Japan's Great Buddha at Nara (奈良の大仏) is cast from 銅, a 15-meter bronze colossus built in 752 AD. The 10-yen coin you flip at shrines is also copper, connecting ancient craft to daily life.

Used in 銅像 (douzou, bronze statue), 青銅 (seidou, bronze), and 銅メダル (dou medaru, bronze medal)

More from Earth & Minerals

• 炭 charcoal
• 泥 mud
• 宝 treasure
• 陸 land
• 掘 dig
• 鋼 steel
• 層 layer
• 鉱 ore
• 晶 crystal
• 磁 magnet
• 鍛 forge
• 地 earth

Learn 銅 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.