The kanji 陶 primarily conveys the meaning of "pottery," "ceramics," or "baked clay." It represents the process of shaping and firing clay to create various objects. It also encompasses the art and craft of working with clay.

・On-yomi (音読み): トウ (tou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): すえ (sue) (rarely used, referring to earthenware)

⚫︎陶器 (touki) Translation: Pottery; ceramics. ⚫︎陶芸 (tougei) Translation: Ceramic art; pottery. ⚫︎陶磁器 (toujiki) Translation: Porcelain and pottery; ceramics.

The kanji 陶 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The left side is a radical called 阝 (こざとへん, kozatohen) which is related to earthen wares, and the right side is 缶 (kan) which means "pot". The original meaning of 陶 was related to the act of making pottery, specifically the process of shaping and firing clay. This kanji visually depicts clay being shaped and fired in a kiln. Over time, the meaning broadened to encompass the final product: pottery itself.