Readings: デイ (Onyomi), どろ (Kunyomi)
Meaning: mud, dirt, mire
Phono-semantic compound. The radical 氵 (water) indicates the semantic field. The phonetic component 尼 (ni) depicts a kneeling person, implying “low” or “base,” contributing to the meaning of “mud” or “mire” as dirty, low-lying water or earth.
View JLPT N2 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 泥 has 8 strokes. It begins with the water radical (氵) on the left, written in three strokes (vertical hook, horizontal, falling). Then, the right component 尼 is written: first the top horizontal stroke, followed by the vertical stroke with a hook, then the left-falling stroke, a short horizontal stroke, and finally the bottom hook.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 氵 (水) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 8 |
| JLPT Level | N2 |
| Grade | S |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- デイ (DEI)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- どろ (doro)
Common Words Using 泥
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 泥酔 | でいすい | drunkenness, dead drunk |
| 泥炭 | でいたん | peat |
| 泥沼 | でいぬま | quagmire, swamp, predicament |
| 泥土 | でいど | mud, sludge, mire (literary/technical) |
| 泥中 | でいちゅう | in the mud (often metaphorical) |
| 泥舟 | でいしゅう | mud boat (figurative: a precarious venture) |
| 泥金 | でいきん | gold dust, gold paint (art/craft) |
| 泥漿 | でいしょう | slurry, mud (technical) |
| 泥眼 | でいがん | dull, mud-colored eyes (especially in Buddhist statues) |
| 泥水 | でいすい | muddy water (often metaphorical/literary for ON reading) |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 泥棒 | どろぼう | thief |
| 泥水 | どろみず | muddy water |
| 泥だらけ | どろだらけ | covered in mud |
| 泥んこ | どろんこ | muddy, covered in mud (often for children) |
| 泥まみれ | どろまみれ | covered in mud, smeared with mud |
| 泥を塗る | どろをぬる | to disgrace (oneself/someone) |
| 泥沼化 | どろぬまか | becoming a quagmire, miring |
| 泥道 | どろみち | muddy road |
| 泥仕合 | どろじあい | dirty fight, mudslinging (figurative) |
| 泥壁 | どろかべ | mud wall |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 子供たちは泥だらけになって遊んだ。
Kana: こどもたちはどろだらけになってあそんだ。
Romaji: Kodomo-tachi wa doro-darake ni natte asonda.
English: The children played, getting covered in mud.
Japanese: 彼は泥酔して、何も覚えていない。
Kana: かれはでいすいして、なにもおぼえていない。
Romaji: Kare wa deisui shite, nani mo oboete inai.
English: He was dead drunk and remembers nothing.
Japanese: 車が泥沼にはまって動けなくなった。
Kana: くるまがどろぬまにはまってうごけなくなった。
Romaji: Kuruma ga doronuma ni hamatte ugokenaku natta.
English: The car got stuck in the mud and couldn’t move.
Japanese: 汚職で会社に泥を塗ってしまった。
Kana: おしょくでかいしゃにどろをぬってしまった。
Romaji: Oshoku de kaisha ni doro o nutte shimatta.
English: He disgraced the company with corruption.
Japanese: その道は雨でひどい泥道になった。
Kana: そのみちはあめでひどいどろみちになった。
Romaji: Sono michi wa ame de hidoi doro-michi ni natta.
English: That road became a terrible muddy road due to the rain.
Japanese: 政治家の泥仕合を見るのはうんざりだ。
Kana: せいじかのどろじあいをみるのはうんざりだ。
Romaji: Seijika no dorojiai o miru no wa unzari da.
English: I’m fed up with watching the politicians’ mudslinging.
Japanese: 泥水でも飲んで生き延びた。
Kana: どろみずでものんでいきのびた。
Romaji: Doro-mizu demo nonde ikinobita.
English: They survived even by drinking muddy water.
Japanese: 泥炭は地中で長い年月をかけて形成される。
Kana: でいたんはちちゅうでながいねんげつをかけてけいせいされる。
Romaji: Deitan wa chichū de nagai nengetsu o kakete keisei sareru.
English: Peat is formed underground over many years.
Japanese: 紛争が泥沼化するのを避けるべきだ。
Kana: ふんそうがどろぬまかするのをさけるべきだ。
Romaji: Funsō ga doronumaka suru no o sakeru beki da.
English: We should avoid the conflict becoming a quagmire.
Japanese: 彼の手は泥まみれだった。
Kana: かれのてはどろまみれだった。
Romaji: Kare no te wa doro-mamire datta.
English: His hands were covered in mud.
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