Meanings
nouninkstone (plural inkstones)
plural inkstones
- A stone mortar used for grinding and holding ink in the East Asian art and calligraphy tradition.
He turns to the inkstone and picks up by the handles the two inkballs, rolling the leather facings together to freshen the ink. […] As the pressman returns the inkballs to the inkstone, the journeyman closes the frisket and tympan.
2000, Richard L. Saunders, Printing in Deseret
Origin
Translations
Arabic حَجَر حَبْر
- حَجَر حَبْر (ḥajar ḥabr)stone mortar
Chinese Mandarin 硯 /砚, 硯臺 /砚台
- 硯 /砚 (yàn)stone mortar
- 硯臺 /砚台 (yàntái)stone mortar
Finnish mustekivi
- mustekivistone mortar
German Reibstein
- Reibsteinstone mortar
Japanese 硯
- 硯 (suzuri)stone mortar
Korean 벼루
- 벼루 (byeoru)stone mortar
Polish kamień pisarski
- kamień pisarskistone mortar
Portuguese pedra de tinta
- pedra de tintastone mortar
Thai จานฝนหมึก
- จานฝนหมึก (jaan-fǒn-mʉ̀k)stone mortar
Vietnamese nghiên, nghiên mực
- nghiênstone mortar
- nghiên mựcstone mortar
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
inkstone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inkstone
MLA
“inkstone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inkstone. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “inkstone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/inkstone.
Source: inkstone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.