坴 meaning and stroke order
A clod of earth; land
How to write 坴, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 8
Meaning of 坴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- a clod of earth
- land
How 坴 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Soil 土 heaped 八 on the earth 土.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 坴
Picture soil 土 on top, a little split 八 in the middle, and more soil 土 below. It looks like earth heaped up into a lump, which gives the meaning of a clod of earth or land.
坴 (lù) is a rare character you will almost never see on its own in modern Chinese. It mostly matters as a building block inside common characters such as 陆 in its traditional form 陸 (lù, land) and 睦 (mù, harmonious). For example, 大陸 (dàlù) means mainland or continent.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 坴 with 幸 (xìng, fortunate) or 圭 (guī, jade tablet) because all three stack horizontal strokes. 圭 is just two 土 with nothing between them, while 坴 has the 八 shape in the middle.
Characters that contain 坴
Learning 坴 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 坴
How many strokes are in 坴?
坴 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 坴 mean?
坴 (lù) means a clod of earth; land.
How do you pronounce 坴?
坴 is pronounced lù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 坴?
The radical of 坴 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 坴 under this radical.
Is 坴 used in everyday Chinese writing?
Not really. It is mainly a component, so you learn it to recognize parts of characters like 陸 and 睦 rather than to use it as a word.
Why do 陸 and 睦 have different sounds if they share 坴?
In 陸 (lù) the component 坴 keeps its lù sound. In 睦 (mù) the sound has shifted over time, so the component only gives a rough hint at pronunciation.