The Meaning of suri [刷り] In Japanese

刷り
すり
Romaji: suri N4

What does 刷り mean?

Translation and Meaning

printing, impression, edition, print run

Definition

Printing; the act or result of applying ink to paper to produce an image, i.e., printing; it can also denote a printed edition or run; used in publishing, art reproduction, and traditional woodblock printing.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • the act of printing or the result, a print or impression
  • a printed edition or batch, a print run
  • woodblock printing or the method of printing using a block
  • a printed matter or printed material

Etymology

刷 (する) stems from a kanji meaning to print, rub or brush; adding the nominalizing suffix り creates the noun 刷り, meaning the act or result of printing

Origin

Woodblock printing emerged in early Japanese history, notably during the Nara period, with Buddhist texts and publishing practices; the term 刷り reflects the act of applying ink through printing techniques later used in woodblock and other print processes.

Composition

  • 刷: to print, rub; transfer of pigment
  • り: nominalizer; turns the verb into a noun

Usage

Used in formal or technical contexts such as publishing, typography, and art reproduction; in casual speech it is less common, with 印刷 (いんさつ) insatsu dominating; it appears in compounds like 木版刷り (もくはんすり) mokuhansuri and 刷り上がり (すりあがり) suria-gari.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine ink being rubbed onto paper with a brush; the kanji 刷 evokes brushing on ink, and the り turns it into the thing that is printed

Variations

  • 印刷 (いんさつ) insatsu — standard term for printing
  • 木版刷り (もくはんすり) mokuhansuri — woodblock printing
  • 刷り物 (すりもの) surimono — printed matter
  • 刷り上がり (すりあがり) suria-gari — the finished print

Example Phrases

  • この刷りの本は紙質が良い。
    Kono suri no hon wa kamishitsu ga yoi.
    This edition of the book has good paper quality.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • 刷り (suri) – edition
    • の (no) – of
    • 本 (hon) – book
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 紙質 (kamishitsu) – paper quality
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 良い (yoi) – good
    「刷り」 means edition/printing; この刷りの本 means this edition/print of the book. の links the noun to 本.
刷り