Inkstone

Alternative Chinese nameTraditional Chinese墨硯Simplified Chinese墨砚Vietnamese nameVietnamese alphabetnghiênChữ Hán硯Korean nameHangul벼루Japanese nameKanji硯HiraganaすずりKatakanaスズリ

An inkstone is a stone mortar for the grinding and containment of ink. In addition to stone, inkstones are also manufactured from clay, bronze, iron, and porcelain. The device evolved from a rubbing tool used for rubbing dyes dating around 6,000 to 7,000 years ago. It is part of traditional Chinese stationery.