How to say “earth” in Chinese

“Earth” in Chinese is 土, tǔ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

土 is read tǔ. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

How to write it

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “土”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 土. Tap the sound icon to listen.

• 土豆可以炒也可以煮tǔdòukěyǐchǎo,yěkěyǐzhǔPotatoes can be stir-fried or boiled.
• 这里的农民主要种植玉米和土豆。zhèlǐdenóngmínzhǔyàozhòngzhíyùmǐhétǔdòuThe farmers here mainly grow corn and potatoes.
• 这片土地很适合种2水果zhèpiàntǔdìhěnshìhézhòngshuǐguǒThis land is very good for growing fruit.
• 我们要防止土地变成沙漠wǒmenyàofángzhǐtǔdìbiànchéngshāmòWe must not let the land turn into desert.
• 植物从土里吸收水分。zhíwùcóngtǔlixīshōushuǐfènPlants absorb moisture from the soil.
• 狗把骨头从土里挖了出来gǒubǎgǔtoucóngtǔliwālechūlaiThe dog dug a bone out of the ground.

More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.

More words from the lesson “Spring is coming”

• 寒冷 cold
• 末 end
• 随着 as
• 种 plant
• 鲜花 fresh flowers

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions