Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements

塔: pagoda, tower

Also: steeple

JLPT N212 strokesSecondary schoolYour ink: 白 Not met

土 carries the meaning · 荅 gives the sound

12 strokes

One reading, and the words that use it

トウtou · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 塔とうtower
  • 鉄塔てっとうpylon, steel tower
  • 仏塔ぶっとうpagoda
  • 管制塔かんせいとうcontrol tower
  • テレビ塔テレビとうTV tower
  • エッフェル塔エッフェルとうEiffel Tower
  • 五重の塔ごじゅうのとうfive-storied pagoda

Special readingsThese words are read as a whole, not from the readings above.

  • 卒塔婆そとうば/*そとばwooden grave tablet, stupa

Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
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成り立ち

Where it comes from

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Imagine a cross planted firmly in the ground—that's 土! It shows a stake or a seedling marking the earth, reminding us of farming, construction, and the solid foundation upon which we build our lives and cities.”
More in the 土 earth story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
土

Also built on earth (土)

All 61
荅

Also built on 荅

塔 takes the 荅 family's reading, トウ (tou).

Also read トウ

49 kanji share this on'yomiAll 49

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
塔 pagoda · 土
vs搭 board · 扌
塔 has 土 where 搭 has 扌.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · tǎ

Same form: 塔 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).

Simplified
塔 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
塔 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin tǎ most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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