The Chinese Radical: 土


Hanzi-Trainer
Search:
 
Meaning
earth, ground    土

Explanation

Used in these characters:
JLPT HSK 1
to exist, (located) at, (to be) in, in the middle of doing sth
zài
Outside: var. of talent (If the big man balances on one foot, he is talented.), bottom: earth
The talents on earth exist in being ..  
JLPT HSK 1
to go away, to cause, remove, get rid of

Top: earth, ground , bottom: nose (Image of a nose in side view)
When the nose is below the ground, it has gone away.  
JLPT HSK 1
to sit, to take (a seat/a bus), bear fruit
zuò
Two people on the earth/ground
Two people on the ground: they are sitting.  
JLPT HSK 1
lump (of earth), chunk, piece
kuài
Left: earth , right: (a person with a backpack コ)
(You can only transport a little in this way:) The earth in the person's backpack is just a lump.  
JLPT HSK 2
to walk, to go, to move (a vehicle)
zǒu
At top: earth , bottom: variation of a foot (= kneecap and footprint )
On the earth the feet have to walk.  
JLPT HSK 2
place, open space, stage
chǎng
Left: earth , right: simplified from 'easy' (= The sun with warming sun shine makes it easy)
The earth warmed by the sun with its shine, that's my: place.  
JLPT HSK 3
border, boundary, place, circumstances
jìng
Left: earth , right: actually (standing , sun and legs )
The earth remains standing, while the sun continues to go: We are at the border.  
JLPT HSK 3
ground, place, land (adverbial particle)
de, dì
Left: earth , right: also/too (shows a twisting creature, i.e. a snake or scorpion)
The earth is for snakes its: ground or place.  
JLPT HSK 3
bad, to break down, spoiled
huài
Left: earth/ground , right: not (Four strokes are not enough!)
If sth. is on the ground, where it should not be, it is: bad and/or broken.  
JLPT HSK 3
city walls, city, town
chéng
Left: earth/ground , right: achieve, succeed (In the direction of the halberd we will achieve it.)
Made of earth and for achieving (a city): The city wall.  
JLPT HSK 4
to press, to push down, pressure, to keep under (control)
yā, yà
Cliff and earth with emphasis
At the cliff it affects the emphasized earth: The pressure.  
JLPT HSK 4
society, association, group, club, agency
shè
Left: to show/altar 礻(= image of an altar with a sacrifice and dripping blood ), right: earth
He shows (points) to this earth. Here we found our society.  
JLPT HSK 4
happiness, fortunate, lucky, trusted
xìng
From top: earth , two drops and mirrored earth (or variation of sheep: )
Between two earths is the happiness.  
JLPT HSK 4
foundation, base, basic

Top: image of a grain shovel/scoop (tool for threshing, that is used for throwing up the grain rhythmically to divide the grain from the husk [thus used in period 期], below: earth
The grain scoop has an earthen foundation.  
JLPT HSK 4
stomach, abdomen, tripe, belly
dǔ, dù
Left: body part /, right: earth
The part of the body (or viscera), which (in cattle) is located at the bottom (= near the ground), is the stomach.  
JLPT HSK 4
address, location, site
zhǐ
Left: earth , right: to stop (footprint of a right foot that stops at a line )
The 'earth' where I stop, is my address.  
JLPT HSK 4
to increase, to expand, to add
zēng
Left: earth , right: formerly /曽 (At rain on the field as under the sun , that's how we worked formerly.)
(Now we have soil erosion. But:) The earth formerly: increased.  
JLPT HSK 4
salt
yán
Top: 圤 (earth , fortune telling also understood as a branching), bottom: bowl
From earth it can be separated (branched off) and collected in a bowl: salt.  
JLPT HSK 4
to fill or stuff, to fill in (a form)
tián
Left: earth , right: really, truly (The ten eyes see that the table is truely real.) [tool = The eye sees on the table a tool ]
(uneven ground is not good) The earth is only real, when it is filled up.  
JLPT HSK 4
to model (a figure) in clay

Top: new moon, 1.day in lunar calendar (The disobedient [=A plant's shoot that grows crooked] moon is not shining at new moon), bottom: earth
At new moon take earth (clay) for modelling.  
JLPT HSK 4
wall, to block up, (to feel) suffocated or stifled

Left: earth , right: person (old man on the sun )
"Earth" that is (used against) persons is a wall that blocks and suffocates.  
JLPT HSK 4
trash, garbage, of poor quality

Left: earth, ground , right: to stand
It is the ground where it should stand: The trash.  
JLPT HSK 4
trash, garbage

Left: earth , right: reach (A hand stretched out to reach something 丿
(If you throw it away:) The ground will be reached by the trash.  
JLPT HSK 4
strong, solid, firm, unyielding, resolute
jiān
Top: knife and hand , below: earth
With a knife in my hand I am on the earth: strong and resolute!  
JLPT HSK 5
earth, soil, local, indigenous, unsophisticated


A cross stands on the earth .  
JLPT HSK 5
region, zone, area, field, domain (taxonomy)

Left: earth , right: maybe (halberd , below: outline of a field with marked border line )
Earth and fields are divided by halberds into regions and zones.  
JLPT HSK 5
wall
qiáng
Left: earth , right: stingy (Variant of squeeze in [to squeeze = A husband between two persons (= 2x ; cf: 薔) is squeezed] and return/revolve )
The earth is squeezing you in and revolving: at the wall.  
JLPT HSK 5
average, equal, even, all, uniform
jūn
Left: earth , right: ladle with a bit more in it
The earth in the ladle is in the average.  
JLPT HSK 5
pile, heap, stack, mass, to pile up
duī
Left: earth , right: bird
(never directly on the bare ground) The earth, on which a bird is sitting, is piled up.  
JLPT HSK 5
wall, rampart

Top: anal penetration, torture (buttock from the side , anus , needle as symbol for penetration or torture), bottom: earth
Anal penetration on the earth, but behind a wall.  
JLPT HSK 5
to vomit, to throw up, to spit
tǔ, tù
Left: mouth , right: earth/ground
From his mouth to the ground he disgorged the vomit.  
JLPT HSK 5
form, model, type (e.g. blood type)
xíng
Top: punishment (who openly [=gate at temple] uses his knife is punished.), earth:
Use an open knife and earth (=clay) to form a model.  
JLPT HSK 5
dust, dirt, earth
chén
Top: small , bottom: earth
The 'small earth' is the dust.  
JLPT HSK 5
flat, open-hearted, smooth, level
tǎn
Left: earth , right: sun rise (The sun is just above the horizon )
The earth at the sunrise appears flat.  
JLPT HSK 5
dyke, embankment, pool or pond, hot-water bathing pool
táng
广
Left: earth , right: Tang dynasty 唐 (In the building 广 the hand with pestle and mortar during Tang)
If by earth a "building" is made by hand as a surrounding mouth, it is a: dyke (embarkment) for a pond.  
JLPT HSK 5
to cultivate, to grow, educate
péi
Left: earth , right: spit (stand with open mouth and spit)
On the earth it was spit and we started cultivating.  
JLPT HSK 6
earthen jar, altar
tán
Left: earth , right: cloud (It can drip from both , namely from noses or: clouds)
Use earth (=clay) and (water from the) cloud to you make a jar.  
JLPT HSK 6
to endure, bear, may, can
kān
Left: earth , right: extraordinary, extreme (A grain shovel with an extra angle makes it very extraordinary)
Earth shows extreme endurance.  
JLPT HSK 6
grave, tomb, mausoleum

Top: negative, sunset (The plants are made by the sun to be large [= as long shadows] at sunset.), bottom: earth
Sinking among plants into the earth: into the grave.  
JLPT HSK 6
birchleaf pear (tree), to stop, to restrict

Left: tree , right: earth
A tree that is especially depending on the earth is the: pear tree.  
JLPT HSK 6
black ink, China ink, Mexico 墨西哥

Top: black 黒 (The underside of the cooking pot is stained by fire black), below: earth
Black earth is used: for ink.  
JLPT HSK 6
to block, to stuff, to squeeze in, obstruct, Serbian
sāi, sài, sè
From top: roof , a well , var. of six , earth
Despite the roof, the well was already six-times filled with earth and thus blocked/obstructed.  
JLPT HSK 6
castle, position of defense, earthwork, stronghold
bǎo, bǔ, pù
Top: protect (A person builds fence over tree to protect it.), bottom: earth
For the protection you use earth when building: a castle.  
JLPT HSK 6
border, boundary
jiāng
Left: bow and earth , right: (Three 三 border lines between fields )
With a bow I guard the earth at the border lines: of the border.  
JLPT HSK 6
slope, sloping, slanted

Left: earth , right: skin (A hand with a knife peels off the skin .)
(Here the turf is open) That the ground/earth has a skin, you can see at the slope.  
JLPT HSK 6
holy, sacred, divine
shèng
This is understood as "vertical" with a hand vertically above the earth
The hand is vertically over the object when blessing it, thus when making it: 'holy'.  
JLPT HSK 6
farmstead, manor, village
zhuāng
广
Left: building 广, below: earth
The building next to earth is: a farmstead.  
JLPT HSK 6
to hang (down), droop, dangle, nearly, almost
chuí

A vehicle 車 with a loose tire that hangs down/droops.  
JLPT HSK 6
pagoda, tower, stupa

Left: earth , right: (plant , to fit [The lid on the pot ])
Earth must be reinforced with plant fiber in a fitting way, if you want to build a pagoda.  
JLPT HSK 6
pit, ditch, tunnel, to defraud
kēng
Left: earth , right: overbearing (Here: the navigator of navigation 航 [= sturdy person with a broad neck] or a pitman)
In the earth is the pitman/miner in a pit / ditch.  
JLPT HSK 6
to fall, to drop, to weigh down
zhuì
Top: troops 队 (On the hill the persons are posted as troops), bottom: earth
From the hill the person comes (down) to the earth, because he has fallen down.  
JLPT HSK 6
ridge between fields, monopolize, row of crops, grave mound
lǒng
Top: dragon (The emphasized person / has a broken leg with a winding dragon ), bottom:
Like a dragon of earth is the ridge between the fields, which is monopolizing.  
JLPT HSK 6
grave, tomb, mound
fén
Left: earth , right: text/language (Image of a folding table for writing a text.)
(Inscription at graveyard:) The earth with the text is: the grave.  
JLPT HSK 6
to bury, to blame
mái, mán
Left: earth/ground , right: village (Fields and earth belong to a village)
In the ground at the village they will be buried.  
JLPT HSK 6
(main) hall, dining hall
táng
Top: esteem, to value (small , house with a window ), bottom: earth . BETTER: Reinforced roof with additional beams because of the size of a hall on the ground
The reinforced roof for a hall on the ground: The hall!  
JLPT HSK 6
soil, earth, to border
rǎng
Left: earth , right: to help, assist (For covering both (=two pieces ) wells with cloth , I need help)
The soil (itself) assists being soil.  
JLPT HSK 6
dike, dam, embankment

Left: earth , right: correct (sun , variant of correct )
The earth is correctly (used) for a dike.  
JLPT HSK 6
collapse, to fall in ruins

Left: earth , right: sun , feather (here: to fly)
(Icarus and Daedalus) You will come back to earth, when you want (to reach) the sun, and your feathers: collapse.  
JLPT HSK 6
mat, mattress, pad, cushion
diàn
Top: grasp, seize (If you get your hand to that small bead you grasp it.), bottom: earth
By hand the beads/pills (are spread) to form: a mattress.  
JLPT HSK 6
to degenerate, destroy, to fall, overthrow
duò, huī
Left: hill , right: be, have, exist (I have hand and body , thus I am existing.), below: earth
One hill exists on earth but it is degenerating.  
JLPT HSK 6
kitchen stove, furnace
zào
Left: fire , right: earth
The fire on the ground is the kitchen stove.  
JLPT HSK 6
mourn, mourning, funeral
sāng, sàng
Top: two bodies in the earth (cf. gold ), bottom: clothes
When the two bodies come into the earth, you wear these clothes: to mourn at the funeral.  
JLPT HSK 6
dike, dam, embankment

Left: earth , right: money /貝
You need earth and money for a dike.  
JLPT HSK 6
villa
shù
Top: open land 野 (village, home , bestow (The bent person has a nail to give), bottom: earth
A home was bestowed on the earth of our villa.  
JLPT HSK 6
ruins, grave, mound

Left: earth , right: void, emptiness (The tiger's hole is void. )[= hollow volcanic vent]
The earth is void when with ruins and graves.  
JLPT HSK 6
friendly, harmonious, amicable, peaceful relations

Left: eye , right: 坴 (eight , 2 x land )
The view on all that land is friendly and harmonious.  
JLPT no HSK
the steps to the throne

Left: hill , right: 坒 (compare [= compare the two sitting persons ], earth )
Like a hill in proportion to the earth is his majesty on the throne.  
JLPT no HSK
to collapse, to break or wear down, to defeat
kuǎ
Left: earth , right: boast (With part of jaw [=two teeth , tongue , lower jaw ], such that your big/extreme jaw is boasting.)
Down to the earth falls the one who boasted, when collapsing.  
JLPT no HSK
a plain, unit of area equal to 3.3 square meters
píng
Left: earth/ground , right: flat/plain
The ground has to be flat to measure one 'Píng'.  
JLPT no HSK
rampart, barrier, base (in baseball)
lěi
Traditionally 壘, which shows three fields above the earth . Now top part simplified to: nose
Like three fields (now: "noses") the earth serves (piled): as a rampart.  
JLPT no HSK
bumpy, hole, pit, threshold, snare
kǎn
Left: earth , right: lack (A yawning person is lacking sth.)
If earth is lacking, it becomes: bumpy.  
JLPT no HSK
receiving, symbolizing earth, female principle ☷
kūn
Left: earth , right: to explain, to say (A mouth with a big "plus" + for the outgoing surplus when explaining.)
The earth says, that it is: receiving. (= female)  
JLPT no HSK
wall, city wall
yuán
Left: earth , right: to extend wholly (from sunrise to sunset [=the sun above and below the horizon ])
The earth must (be piled) from sunrise to sunset to get: a wall. (Or: The earth must extend wholly [without flaws] as: city wall)  
JLPT no HSK
dust, dirt, Ångström (=10^-10 m), Egypt
āi
Left: earth , right: end-particle (If the nose is hit by the arrow , it is the end) [here: as arrowhead]
The earth is hit by the head of the arrow and turns into: dust.  
JLPT no HSK
(of a bird, animal or plant) male, key, hills

Left: cow , right: earth
The cow on the ground is male.  
JLPT no HSK
to cultivate, to reclaim (land)
kěn
Top: 'not good' ('good' would be , but here the accent is missing, thus 'not good'), bottom: earth
A 'not-good' earth needs to be: cultivated.  
JLPT no HSK
air-raid shelter, trench
háo
Left: earth , right: superior, heroic 豪 (The tall pig is superior and heroic)
The earth with the tall pigs is: the trench.  
JLPT no HSK
port, pier, wharf

Left: earth , right: just now (A hand for holding an item is what I need just now)
(When on high sea:) The earth, I need just now is: a port.  
JLPT no HSK
lane (often in a street name), neighborhood, workshop
fāng
Left: earth/ground , right: direction/square
It's only made of earth and leads in one direction: The lane  
JLPT no HSK
dock, entrenchment, bank, low wall

Left: earth , right: bird 乌 (variation of bird 鸟/烏)
(Because this bird can no longer hunt, it hopes for some fish from the fishermen:) On the earth is the eye-less bird sitting on: the dock.  
JLPT no HSK
dirt, disgrace
gòu
Left: earth , right: empress, behind 后 (Originates in the custom that the empress followed behind the emperor. shows: buttocks with anus for: "behind": The one following 'behind' is the empress.)
What comes to the ground from the buttocks' anus, is: dirt.  
JLPT no HSK
drainage ditch, furrow in field
zhèn
Left: earth , right: river
In the earth is this "river": A drainage ditch.  
JLPT no HSK
moat around a city
qiàn
Top: chop (The vehicle 車 was chopped by an axe .), bottom: earth
When 'chopping' the earth, you get: a moat.  
JLPT no HSK
wharf, port, pier

Left: earth , right: mound, abundant (Of such buttocks you need ten to pile up a mound)
Earth as a mound at the: wharf.  
JLPT no HSK
dam, embankment, dike, bank, weir
yàn
Left: earth , right: 匽 (frame , sun (here: simplified field ), woman )
The earth that (protects) as a frame the (simplified) fields and the women is: a dam.  
JLPT no HSK
collapse
tān
Left: earth , right: red, pellet 丹
At the earth (= the shore) is a broken 丹 boat , because it collapsed.  
JLPT no HSK
jade tablet
guī

Twice earth on top of each other as the image of a tablet. The radical has the meaning: piled earth  
JLPT no HSK
block, gate pillar, pier, classifier for clusters of plants
dūn
Left: earth , right: kind-hearted 敦 (enjoy [= The tall child enjoys], to strike 攵)
If the earth is piled like a big child with strokes, it became a: gate pillar.  
JLPT no HSK
crossroads, thoroughfare
kuí
Left: movement , right: 坴 (2x earth , in the middle: two ways )
For the movement on two ways between twice 'earths' [hills?], there is: a crossing.  
JLPT no HSK
unburnt earthenware, blank, semifinished product

Left: earth , right: grand, great (Between two boundaries something small can be: great.)
From the earth (=clay) sth. small is made in the mold - It is the: blank (= unburnt earthenware).  
JLPT no HSK
stubble land after crop has been taken, an opportunity
chá
Top: plant , bottom: to exist, (located) at 在 (The talents on earth exist in doing ...) [talent = when the big man balances on one foot.]
(New) plants can exist here: on the stubble land.  
JLPT no HSK
private tutorage
shú
Top: who, which (enjoy [The tall child is enjoying.]; round, bead ), bottom: earth
Big children sit in a round on the earth at a private school.  
JLPT no HSK
uneven (path), unfortunate (in life)

Left: earth , right: be possible, can (The nail into the opening should be possible.)
With the earth it is possible that it is: uneven.  
JLPT no HSK
channel, gully, narrow ravine, bed of torrent

Top: 㕡 (Upper left resembles: cavity,hole and valley with other elements showing a channel itself) and hand ), bottom: earth
(So that the water can flow away) A hole for running towards the valley was formed by the hand in the earth as a channel or canal.  
JLPT no HSK
Used in Ōsaka 大坂 (jpn. city), hill
dà, bǎn
Left: earth , right: opposition (Climbing the cliff by hand ? I am opposing)
The earth is the opposite of a slope or a hill, where Ōsaka is.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

At the page you get the memory phrases for learning the Chinese Hanzi. If you are learning the Japanese kanji, please follow this link.



List of the characters | List of the radicals
Get the app of the Hanzi-Trainer!

The app has many other functions, such as character selection according to difficulty, practice programs, handwriting recognition and success statistics!

To the Trainer