陶 means “pottery, ceramics”

とう · tou

Also: porcelain

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

すえ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

トウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

A hill (阝) and a jar (缶) wrapped (勹) in the potter's hands: 陶 is pottery. 陶器 is earthenware, 陶芸 the craft of wheel and kiln, and 陶酔, being drunk on beauty, is rapture.

Used in 陶器 (touki, pottery), 陶芸 (tougei, ceramic art), and 陶磁器 (toujiki, ceramics/china)

More from Kiln & Forge

• 珠 pearl
• 匠 artisan
• 拙 clumsy
• 漆 lacquer
• 鋳 cast
• 窯 kiln
• 繕 mend
• 錬 refine
• 冶 smelt
• 璧 jade disk
• 製 manufacture
• 創 create

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

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