Kintsugi
noun /kɪnˈtsuːɡi/ — The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold — beauty made from damage.
Definition
The practice of mending broken ceramics with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, treating breakage and repair as part of the object's history rather than something to conceal.
Beyond the definition
Kintsugi rejects the idea that damage diminishes worth. The cracks are the story. The gold does not hide where the object broke; it celebrates it. Applied to people, it's the most compassionate framework for surviving difficult things.
Origin & history
Japanese: 'kin' (gold) + 'tsugi' (join/repair). An art form with roots in 15th-century Japan, now widely used as a philosophical metaphor for resilience.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
She thought of her recovery as kintsugi — stronger and more visible where she'd been broken.
The pottery had kintsugi scars that made it worth more, not less.
His honesty about his struggles was kintsugi — the gold showing through.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Kintsugi” when the meaning fits your context: The practice of mending broken ceramics with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, treating breakage and repair as part of the object's history rather than something to conceal.
Synonyms
golden repair, beautiful damage, resilient restoration
Antonyms
concealment, perfectionism
Related words
Kintsugi vs golden repair
A golden repair is a literal description of the process. Kintsugi is the philosophy that the cracks and history of an object make it more beautiful and valuable than the original.
Questions about this word
What does "Kintsugi" mean?
Kintsugi is noun meaning: The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold — beauty made from damage.. The practice of mending broken ceramics with lacquer mixed with powdered gold, treating breakage and repair as part of the object's history rather than something to conceal.
Where does the word "Kintsugi" come from?
Japanese: 'kin' (gold) + 'tsugi' (join/repair). An art form with roots in 15th-century Japan, now widely used as a philosophical metaphor for resilience.