nendo wo koneru.

It is read:

ねんど を こねる。
Nendo o koneru.

A few pronunciation notes:

• 粘土 = ねんど
• The particle を is pronounced お in modern Japanese, even though it is written を
• こねる = to knead

So aloud, it sounds like nendo o koneru.

を marks the direct object of the verb.

In this sentence:

• 粘土 = the thing being acted on
• こねる = the action, to knead

So 粘土をこねる means to knead clay, where clay is the object receiving the action.

This is very common in Japanese:

• パンを食べる = eat bread
• 本を読む = read a book
• 粘土をこねる = knead clay

Because Japanese normally uses SOV word order: Subject – Object – Verb.

English: I knead clay.
Japanese: (I) clay knead.

So putting the verb at the end is the normal pattern in Japanese.

That means 粘土をこねる is structured very naturally:

• object: 粘土を
• verb: こねる

Japanese often omits the subject when it is already understood from context.

So 粘土をこねる。 could mean:

• I knead clay
• You knead clay
• He/She kneads clay
• (Someone) kneads clay

The exact subject depends on the situation.

This is extremely normal in Japanese. If the speaker does not need to say who is doing it, they usually leave it out.

こねる is the dictionary form of the verb.

This form is used for:

• plain present/future statements
• dictionary entries
• casual style
• modifying nouns
• many grammar patterns

In a simple sentence, こねる can mean:

• knead
• kneads
• will knead

Japanese does not force you to distinguish present and future the way English often does. Context tells you which one is meant.

The polite version is:

粘土をこねます。

Here:

• こねる = plain form
• こねます = polite form

Both mean the same basic thing, but こねます is more polite and appropriate in formal situations, with strangers, teachers, customers, etc.

No. こねる means to knead, so it can be used for other soft materials too.

For example:

• 生地をこねる = knead dough
• 粘土をこねる = knead clay

The core idea is working something soft by pressing, folding, and mixing it with your hands.

So it is a very natural verb for clay.

Yes, but it is often written in kana.

Possible kanji spellings include:

• 捏ねる
• sometimes 練る in related contexts

However, こねる is very commonly written just in hiragana, especially in everyday writing, children’s materials, and learner-friendly texts.

So 粘土をこねる looks very natural.

This is just the standard reading of the word 粘土 meaning clay.

The individual kanji are:

• 粘 = sticky /粘る-related meanings
• 土 = earth, soil

But for learning purposes, it is best to memorize 粘土 as one vocabulary item:

• 粘土（ねんど） = clay

This is a common strategy in Japanese: learn many words as complete units rather than trying to guess every reading from the kanji.

No. In normal Japanese writing, you would usually write it without spaces:

粘土をこねる。

Spaces are often added in beginner materials to make the structure easier to see:

• 粘土
• を
• こねる

That is helpful for learners, but standard Japanese normally does not separate words with spaces.

Yes. 粘土をこねる。 is a complete sentence in Japanese.

Even though it is short, it is grammatically fine because:

• the object is marked with を
• the verb is present
• the subject can be omitted

Japanese often allows very short complete sentences if the context is clear.

You could, but it changes the nuance, and it would not be the most neutral version.

• 粘土をこねる = knead clay
  
  • plain, direct statement about the action
• 粘土はこねる = as for clay, (I/you/etc.) knead it / clay, at least, gets kneaded
  
  • sounds contrastive or topic-based

So を is the natural choice when 粘土 is simply the direct object of こねる.

こねる is an ichidan verb (also called a ru-verb).

That means it conjugates in a regular way:

• dictionary form: こねる
• polite: こねます
• negative: こねない
• past: こねた
• te-form: こねて

This makes it easier to use once you know the pattern.