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

Totah became besotted with raku techniques, a firing process in which the glowing-hot vessel goes from the kiln to a container full of combustibles, then sealed for cooling. —Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2023

For the primary bathroom, Ms. Caron and her client began with the striking floor tile—a raku flower pattern by Ann Sacks in a custom mosaic of brown, pink and white stone, its colors aligning with the house’s dominant palette. —Sarah Karnasiewicz, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2022

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