Raku

name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"raku" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Raku” is uncommon English (frequency #80,791 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,791
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A style of Japanese pottery, considered the traditional style for the pottery used in the Japanese tea ceremony; (especially capitalized) such pottery made by the Raku family.

Corpus desk

Index EN-raku · Raku · English

Raku · rank #80,791 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,791
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rade

Nearest frequency peer: rade (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “Raku”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Raku” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Raku
PropertyValue
HeadwordRaku
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters4
Frequency rank#80,791
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Raku” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Rakufalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “rade” (#80,789), “racketeer” (#80,788), “razz” (#80,794). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “Raku” is #80,791. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Raku is uncommon English at frequency #80,791 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for Raku, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Japanese 楽 (raku, “fun, delightful”). A seal engraved with this word was marked on the early pieces. It was the title and seal used by 15 generations of potters. The correct English form is Raku, spelled R-A-K-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    A style of Japanese pottery, considered the traditional style for the pottery used in the Japanese tea ceremony; (especially capitalized) such pottery made by the Raku family.
  2. 2
    The English transliteration of a Japanese surname; specifically, that of the family traditionally licensed to manufacture the pottery.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Raku appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Raku bowls are of two types. The red Raku is made from a reddish earthenware clay and is glazed with a lead glaze.
  2. Koetsu learned the technique of Raku pottery from the Raku potter Kichizaemon Jokei (1561-1635) and his son Nonko (aka Donyu; 1599-1656), who also had the name Kichibei.

Etymology

From Japanese 楽 (raku, “fun, delightful”). A seal engraved with this word was marked on the early pieces. It was the title and seal used by 15 generations of potters.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Raku"?
"Raku" is spelled R-A-K-U.
What does "Raku" mean?
As a proper noun, "Raku" means: A style of Japanese pottery, considered the traditional style for the pottery used in the Japanese tea ceremony; (especially capitalized) such pottery made by the Raku family.
What is the origin of the word "Raku"?
From Japanese 楽 (raku, “fun, delightful”). A seal engraved with this word was marked on the early pieces. It was the title and seal used by 15 generations of potters. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Raku", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rade#80,789razz#80,794rubi#80,831sain#80,840

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list