墨
mò · HSK 7
ink stick
🖋 墨 = 黑 (black) + 土 (earth): black soot pressed with earth into an ink stick
The bottom 土 means earth and the top 黑 means black, so 墨 is literally black earth — the soot-and-binder cake that scholars ground into Chinese ink. It also names the ink-frugal Mohist School.
墨 — black 黑 + earth 土
墨 is a semantic compound: 黑 (black) gives the meaning and 土 (earth) refers to the soil-like material. It originally referred to the black ink stick made from soot mixed with binders, used for writing and painting, and later extended to mean ink in general.