巧 means “skillful, clever”

たくみ · takumi

Also: adroit, skilled, ingenuity

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): たくみ, たくむ, うまい
On'yomi (Chinese reading): コウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 5 strokes

The story

A tool (工) beside a bent stroke (丂): picture a craftsman bending stubborn material to his will. 巧み is skillful, 精巧 finely made, like a mechanical watch, and 巧妙 is clever, often too clever, as in a cunning scam.

Used in 巧み (takumi, skillful), 精巧 (seikou, elaborate/precise), and 巧妙 (koumyou, ingenious/cunning)

巧 means “skillful, clever”

The story

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