How do you say "mud" in Japanese?

泥

doro

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "mud" is 泥 (doro).

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Pronunciation

泥 is written using kanji. Romanised as doro, it sounds roughly like "doh-roh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Doro is written with a kanji showing water and earth combined. The character structure reflects mud as the mixture of both.

Example sentence

新しい泥を買いました。

Atarashii Doro wo kaimashita.

I bought a new mud.

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How to remember 泥

The kanji 泥 has water (left) mixed with earth elements (right). Mud is wet earth. Say 'doro' - sounds thick and sludgy.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more farm words.

Questions about 泥

How do you pronounce 泥?

泥 is romanised as doro. Say it roughly like "doh-roh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 泥 formal or casual?

泥 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 泥 written in Japanese?

泥 is written using kanji. Doro is written with a kanji showing water and earth combined.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Mud" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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