塗 — “Paint / Plaster / Daub / Smear” in Japanese

Master (高手)と, ぬ, まみ

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

“Paint / Plaster / Daub / Smear” in Japanese is 塗, read to, nu, mami (と, ぬ, まみ). 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 塗料 (paint).

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What does 塗 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	塗
Meaning	Paint / Plaster / Daub / Smear
Readings	と, ぬ, まみ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	塗料 (paint)

How to read 塗

塗 is read to (と) or nu (ぬ) or mami (まみ) depending on the word.

Words with 塗

塗料

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Updated: 2026-08-28