土 (tǔ): earth, soil
土 (tǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “earth, soil.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 十 (structural) and 一 (structural). It ranks #515 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 土 a lump of clay on a potter's wheel. Its radical form 土 (earth) appears in many related characters such as 在 (zài, to exist), 地 (dì, earth, ground), 场 (chǎng, field, place).
Definitions
- earth, soil
Etymology & Origin
pictographicA lump of clay on a potter's wheel
Decomposition: ⿱十一 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 土 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 土
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 土地noun | tǔ dì | land | 5 |
| 土豆noun | tǔ dòu | potato () | 5 |
| 本土noun | běn tǔ | one's native country | 6 |
| 土壤noun | tǔ rǎng | soil | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 国土 | guó tǔ | country's territory |
| 泥土 | ní tǔ | earth |
| 领土 | lǐng tǔ | territory |
| 尘土 | chén tǔ | dust |
| 土司 | tǔ sī | sliced bread (loanword from "toast") |
| 土匪 | tǔ fěi | bandit |
| 入土 | rù tǔ | to bury |
| 乐土 | lè tǔ | happy place |
| 土星 | tǔ xīng | Saturn (planet) |
| 土人 | tǔ rén | native |
| 净土 | jìng tǔ | (Buddhism) Pure Land, usually refers to Amitabha Buddha's Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss (Sukhavati in Sanskrit) |
| 沙土 | shā tǔ | sandy soil |
| 粪土 | fèn tǔ | dirty soil |
| 陶土 | táo tǔ | potter's clay |
| 土路 | tǔ lù | dirt road |
土 appears in 100 compound words: 53 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 土 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (15)
to hate to leave one's native land or where one has lived long; to love one's homeland and not wish to leave it
every inch of land is an inch of gold; land is extremely expensive in an area
to hate to leave one's native land or where one has lived long; to love one's homeland and not wish to leave it
Showing 12 of 15 idioms containing 土.
Example Sentences
这块土地的土壤很肥沃，适合种植各种农作物。
Zhè kuài tǔdì de tǔrǎng hěn féiwò, shìhé zhòngzhí gè zhǒng nóngzuòwù.
The soil on this land is very fertile and suitable for growing various crops.
全国唯一官帽土地公!花坛白沙坑“百年迎灯排”3/1 登...
quán guó wéi yī guān mào tǔ dì gōng ! huā tán bái shā kēng bǎi nián yíng dēng pái 3 1 dēng . . .
The only official hat land public in the country! Flower bed Baishakeng "Centennial Lantern Row" 3/1 climb...
土耳其绑架案—中国商人遭撕票 传10跨海杀...
tǔ ěr qí bǎng jià àn — zhōng guó shāng rén zāo sī piào chuán 1 0 kuà hǎi shā . . .
Turkey kidnapping case - Chinese businessman was torn up and 10 cross-sea killings...
美国土安全部陷停摆...2快速通关计画喊卡 航...
měi guó tǔ ān quán bù xiàn tíng bǎi . . . 2 kuài sù tōng guān jì huà hǎn kǎ háng . . .
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is in a standstill... 2. Quick customs clearance plan shouting card aviation...
年味里飘出就业香 海州乡土人才市集767个岗位引才..
nián wèi lǐ piāo chū jiù yè xiāng hǎi zhōu xiāng tǔ rén cái shì jí gě gāng wèi yǐn cái . .
The scent of employment wafts through the festive air Haizhou Local Talent Market offers 767 positions to attract talent...
美政府移民政策支持率创新低 国土安全部发言人离职
měi zhèng fǔ yí mín zhèng cè zhī chí lǜ chuàng xīn dī guó tǔ ān quán bù fā yán rén chī zhí
U.S. Immigration Policy Approval Hits Record Low as Homeland Security Spokesperson Steps Down
那位女士说土耳其语吗？
Nà wèi nǚshì shuō Tǔ'ěrqíyǔ ma?
Does the lady speak Turkish?
你能给我土豆泥吗？
Nǐ néng gěi wǒ tǔdòuní ma?
Could you pass me the mashed potato?
唯一比无论什么资源都珍贵的是土地。
Wéiyī bǐ wúlùn shénme zīyuán dōu zhēnguì de shì tǔdì.
The one resource more precious than any other was land.
资本、土地和劳动是生产的三大要素。
Zīběn, tǔdì hé láodòng shì shēngchǎn de sān dà yàosù.
Capital, land and labor are the three key factors of production.
Character Family
土 Radical Family — Characters sharing the earth radical
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are common words containing 土?
What characters sound the same as 土 (tǔ)?
Is 土 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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