塊 — “Clod / Lump / Chunk / Clot” in Japanese

Master (高手)かい, け, かたまり, つちくれ

Radical ⼟ · radical 32 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Clod / Lump / Chunk / Clot” in Japanese is 塊, read kai, ke, katamari (かい, け, かたまり, つちくれ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 金塊 (gold nugget).

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What does 塊 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	塊
Meaning	Clod / Lump / Chunk / Clot
Readings	かい, け, かたまり, つちくれ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	金塊 (gold nugget)

How to read 塊

塊 is read kai (かい) or ke (け) or katamari (かたまり) or tsuchikure (つちくれ) depending on the word.

Words with 塊

金塊

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Kanji read the same way as 塊

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28