raku

noun

ra·​ku ˈrä-(ˌ)kü 

often attributive

1

: Japanese hand-modeled pottery that is fired at a low temperature and rapidly cooled

2

: a process by which pottery is fired at a relatively low temperature and then moved while hot to a closed container with combustible materials (such as paper or sawdust) that ignite and cause a reaction creating colors and patterns in the pottery's surface

also : pottery produced using this process

Examples of raku in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gbadebo fires her vessels twice, some undergoing a variation of the Japanese raku technique in which the first fire typically gets to around eighteen-hundred degrees and the second gets to around a thousand degrees. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2025

In her studio, Lee has placed her kilns and pottery wheel and tried alternative firing techniques such as raku and pit firing. — Grace Xue, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024

This exhibit displays tea bowls and water containers from the museum’s permanent collection, all exemplars of raku ware’s unique glazes and forms. — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023

The day includes sales, demos, live raku firings plus local musicians performing and food trucks. — Chris Bieri, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023

The reality of raku production, though, lost its fun, Totah said. — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, literally, pleasure; from the use of the character for this word on a seal given to the family of the potter who introduced the style

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined at sense 1