Learn Chinese Characters 025 土
by Caren Zuo
土(tǔ )
It looks like a tender seedling shoot forth from the earth. The “soil” or “earth” is where the plants, which feed the animals and human beings, come from.
“土” is very easy to remember. The lower horizontal stroke represents the deep of the earth where the roots of plants absorb the nourishment that they need to grow, and the upper horizontal stroke represents the earth’s surface. The vertical stroke represents the plant with its roots under the earth and its sprouts out of the soil.
“土” is a free radical which is related to“soil” or “earth” when it forms combined characters.
Please point out where it lies in the following characters.
地 尘 垦 吐 杜
Phrases:
土地 (tǔ dì) land
土豆 (tǔ dòu ) potato
土壤 (tǔ rǎng) soil
泥土 (ní tǔ) mud and earth
土气 (tǔ qì) rustic style, uncouthness
