土 tǔ earth
earth; soil; local
How it came to be
象形 · Pictogram
A drawing of the thing it means.
The oldest form is a mound of earth on the ground line; the mound narrowed into the upright stroke, and its broad middle became the short one.
How it is used
- 'Soil, earth, dirt': 土地 (tǔdì) land, 泥土 (nítǔ) soil, 土壤 (tǔrǎng) soil (agricultural/scientific).
- Colloquially 土 = 'unfashionable, tacky, countrified': 这件衣服有点土 (zhè jiàn yīfu yǒudiǎn tǔ) this outfit is a bit tacky.
- 土豆 (tǔdòu) = potato; 本土 (běntǔ) = local/native (soil = one's own land).
Characters built with 土
- 在 at
- 里 in
- 去 go
- 坐 sit
- 块 piece
- 地 adverb particle
- 走 to walk
- 场 measure word for games and performances
- 坏 bad
- 法 law
- 理 reason
- 城 town
- 境 boundary
- 坚 resolutely
- 脚 foot
- 丢 lose
- 量 measure
- 至 until
- 社 group
- 基 foundation
- 却 but
- 增 increase
- 压 press
- 座 measure word for mountains, bridges and buildings
- 幸 good fortune
- 童 child
- 肚 belly
- 址 location
- 盐 salt
- 填 fill
- 塑 sculpt
- 堵 wall
- 垃 garbage
- 圾 garbage
- 堂 hall
- 厘 one thousandth
- 均 equal
- 型 pattern
- 域 area
- 培 to cultivate
Words with 土
- 土地tǔdìlandHSK 5
- 土豆tǔdòupotatoHSK 5
- 土壤tǔrǎngsoilHSK 6
- 本土běntǔone's native countryHSK 6
- 出土chūtǔto dig upHSK 8
- 国土guótǔcountry's territoryHSK 8
- 土生土长tǔshēng-tǔzhǎng(of people) born and raised in the localityHSK 8
- 水土shuǐtǔwater and soilHSK 9
- 泥土nítǔearthHSK 9
- 领土lǐngtǔterritoryHSK 9
- 风土人情fēngtǔ-rénqínglocal conditions and customs (idiom)HSK 9