硝 means “saltpeter, nitrate”

しょう · shou

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ショウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 12 strokes

The story

Stone (石) beside 肖, crowned with 小, small: picture fine white crystals scraped from the earth for gunpowder. 硝石 is saltpeter, 硝酸 nitric acid, 硝煙 the smoke of gunfire, and older writing spells ガラス, glass, as 硝子.

Used in 硝酸 (shousan, nitric acid), 硝石 (shouseki, saltpeter), and 硝子 (garasu, glass)

More from Atoms & Acids

• 核 nucleus
• 素 element
• 析 analyze
• 酸 acid
• 粘 sticky
• 鉛 lead (metal)
• 凝 congeal
• 窒 block
• 硫 sulfur

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

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