Meaning & readings
paint, plaster, daub, smear, coating
On’yomi ト
Kun’yomi ぬ.る、ぬ.り、まみ.れる
Origin
This character combines the idea of liquid or spreading motion with earth or soil. The top component suggests something flowing or being applied, while the bottom component 土 (earth) classifies this as something to do with materials and surfaces. Together they form the image of applying a wet or sticky substance—like paint or plaster—onto a surface, which is the core meaning of "paint" or "coat." The character essentially pictures the action of spreading something onto ground or a solid object.
Components
- 涂
- 土
Common words
Reference
- Strokes
- 13
- Kangxi radical
- 32
- Formation type
- Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
- Grade
- Jōyō (secondary school)
- Frequency rank
- #1414 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 2
- Unicode
- U+05857