墨: the kanji for ink stick; black ink

墨 is a JLPT N1 kanji that means ink stick; black ink. Below are its readings, 3 common words and example sentences, all with audio.

ink stick; black inkMeaning

ボクOn reading

すみKun reading

14Strokes

Stroke order

墨 is written in 14 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.

Words by reading

墨 has 2 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 3 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).

ボク (boku)

On reading.

Word	Meaning
水墨画すいぼくが · suibokuga	ink painting
白墨はくぼく · hakuboku	chalk

すみ (sumi)

Kun reading.

Word	Meaning
墨すみ · sumi	ink stick; ink

Example sentences for work and daily life

書道の時間に墨をすった。Shodō no jikan ni sumi o sutta.I ground ink in calligraphy class.
美術館で水墨画を見た。Bijutsukan de suibokuga o mita.I saw ink paintings at the art museum.
服に墨がついてしまった。Fuku ni sumi ga tsuite shimatta.I got ink on my clothes.
昔の先生は白墨で黒板に書いた。Mukashi no sensei wa hakuboku de kokuban ni kaita.Teachers long ago wrote on the blackboard with chalk.
墨の香りが部屋に広がった。Sumi no kaori ga heya ni hirogatta.The scent of ink filled the room.

Questions about 墨

How many strokes does 墨 have?

墨 is written in 14 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.

What are the readings of 墨?

The on readings are boku (ボク). The kun readings are sumi (すみ).

What JLPT level is 墨?

N1. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.

About the JLPT level

The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N1 is designed to match the former Level 1.