泥

• Reading: どろ
• Romaji: doro
• Kanji breakdown: 泥 (doro/dei) — mud; composed of 氵 (water radical) + 尼 (phonetic)
• Pronunciation: /do.ɾo/

Meaning

Mud; wet dirt. Soft, wet earth formed by mixing soil and water.

Appears in common compounds like 泥棒 (thief — literally mud stick, from the idea of someone covered in mud sneaking around) and 泥沼 (quagmire, both literally and figuratively). The phrase 泥だらけ means covered in mud.

Examples

1. 雨の後、靴が泥だらけになりました。 After the rain, my shoes got covered in mud.
2. 子供が泥で遊んで服を汚しました。 The child played in the mud and got their clothes dirty.
3. 田んぼの泥の中に足がはまってしまった。 My foot got stuck in the mud in the rice paddy.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, daily life, weather

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 泥 combines 氵 (water radical) and 尼 as a phonetic component, depicting earth saturated with water.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal