くろ
黒
ふね
船

noun

  1. black ships, Western ships that came to Japan between the 16th and 19th centuries, esp. those of the Perry Expedition in 1853. Messages.hist.
  2. foreign disruptor (of the Japanese market), product, person, etc. arriving from the West and disturbing the Japanese market.

Variations

Pronunciation Kanji Kana Is Common
くろ
黒
ふね
船
 黒船 くろふね

Contained Kanji Breakdown

black
くろ　コク (2nd, N4)
ri, village, parent's home
さと　リ　さ (2nd)
rice field, rice paddy
た　デン　たん (1st, N4)
soil, earth, ground
ド　つち　は (1st, N5)
fire, fire radical (no. 86)
ヒョウ　カ
ship, boat
ふね　セン　ふな- (2nd, N3)
boat, ship
ふね　ふな-　シュウ (7th, N2)
katakana no radical (no. 4)
ヘツ　えい　よう (Kentei 1)
upside-down box radical (no. 13)
キョウ　ケイ (Kentei 1)
one, one radical (no.1)
イチ　いっ　ひと- (1st, N5)
two-stroke water radical or ice radical (no. 15)
ヒョウ　こおり (Kentei 1)
a marsh at the foot of the hills, name of a river
eight, eight radical (no. 12)
ハチ　や　はっ (1st, N5)
mouth
くち　コウ　ク (1st, N4)