Japanese symbol for “clay”
土
つち
Romaji: tsuchi
earth; soil; dirt; clay
In Japanese, clay is 土, read つち (tsuchi).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n earth; soil; dirt; clay; mud
- n the earth (historically, esp. as opposed to the heavens); the ground; the land
- n low-quality torinoko-gami (containing mud)
- n (period of) refraining from construction in the direction of the god of the earth (in Onmyōdō)
Written forms: 土、地. Readings: つち、つし.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “clay”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 粘土 | ねんど nendo | clay |
| 陶磁 | とうじ touji | clay |
| クレー | クレー kuree | clay |
| 土製 | どせい dosei | clay; earthen |
| 粘 | ねば neba | clay |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 土地 | とち tochi | plot of land; lot; soil |
| 土曜 | どよう doyou | Saturday |
| 領土 | りょうど ryoudo | territory; domain; dominion |
| 国土 | こくど kokudo | country; territory; domain |
| 土産 | みやげ miyage | local specialty or souvenir bought as a gift while travelling |
| 土台 | どだい dodai | foundation; base; basis |
See also: Chinese symbol for “clay”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.