Meaning of 土
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- earth
- dust
- clay
- local
- indigenous
- crude opium
- unsophisticated
- one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音[ba1 yin1]
- surname Tu
- Tu ethnic group
How to use 土
土 (tǔ) means earth or soil, and it appears in many common words like 土地 (tǔdì, land) and 土豆 (tǔdòu, potato). As an adjective it can mean local or, in casual speech, unfashionable or tacky. Example: 这件衣服有点土。(Zhè jiàn yīfu yǒudiǎn tǔ.) This piece of clothing is a bit tacky.
土 (tǔ) looks like a small sprout or mound rising from the ground: the long bottom line is the earth, and the short top line and vertical stroke stand up from it. Think of a plant pushing up through soil.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 土 (tǔ) with 士 (shì, scholar). In 土 the bottom line is longer, while in 士 the top line is longer.
土 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
土 tǔ · earth · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 土.
| 土地 | tǔdì | land; soil |
| 土豆 | tǔdòu | potato; (Tw) peanut (CL:顆|颗[ke1]) |
| 本土 | běntǔ | one's native country; native |
| 领土 | lǐngtǔ | territory |
| 国土 | guótǔ | country's territory; national land |
| 泥土 | nítǔ | earth; soil; mud; clay |
| 土壤 | tǔrǎng | soil |
| 混凝土 | hùnníngtǔ | concrete (building material) |
| 土匪 | tǔfěi | bandit |
| 土生土长 | tǔshēng-tǔzhǎng | (idiom) (of people) born and raised in the locality; (of art forms, political parties, ent |
| 出土 | chūtǔ | to dig up; to appear in an excavation |
| 尘土 | chéntǔ | dust |
Questions about 土
What does 土 mean?
土 (tǔ) means "earth; dust" and is used as a noun and adjective.
How do you write 土?
土 is made of 1 character: 土 (3 strokes). That is 3 strokes in total.
Is 土 an HSK word?
Yes. 土 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does it mean when someone calls a person 土?
Calling someone or something 土 (tǔ) in casual speech means they seem unstylish, old-fashioned, or countrified. It is mildly teasing, so be careful using it about people you do not know well.
Does 土豆 always mean potato?
In mainland China 土豆 (tǔdòu) means potato. In Taiwan it usually means peanut, and potato is more often called 马铃薯 (mǎlíngshǔ).