土
The 土 radical
Earth, soil
Memory hook
A layer of soil with a sprout on top
The 土 radical (read tǔ) means earth, soil. The HSK 3.0 data contains 54 characters and 338 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 土 radical
Study this radical's 338 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 土 radical
54 charactersThe free plan shows 9 characters per HSK level (42/54 characters of this radical).
HSK 1· 6 characters
HSK 1在
to be at; to be present
地
ground, earth
场
field; ground (for sports or activities)
坏
bad
坐
to sit
块
(measure word) yuan (unit of currency); piece
HSK 2· 2 characters
HSK 2堂
hall; large room
墙
wall
HSK 3· 6 characters
HSK 3土
soil; earth
坚
hard, solid, firm
城
city; town
基
foundation, base
境
circumstances, situation
增
to increase, to grow
HSK 4· 9 characters
HSK 4圾
garbage, trash
址
foundation, base (of a structure)
均
even, equal
垃
garbage
型
type, kind, model
培
to train, to cultivate
堵
to seal up, to block tightly
塑
plastic
填
to fill in
HSK 5· 4 characters
HSK 5坦
flat, level
域
region, area
堆
to pile up
壁
wall
HSK 6· 6 characters
HSK 6圣
holy; sacred
坡
slope, hillside
埋
to bury
塔
pagoda; tower
塞
to stuff, to plug, to block
墓
grave, tomb
HSK 7-9· 9 characters
HSK 7-9坑
pit, hole
坛
altar, platform (a place for public activities or speeches)
坝
dam
坟
grave, tomb
坠
to fall, to plummet
坪
level, flat ground
垂
to droop, to hang down
垄
row, ridge (for planting)
垒
rampart, fortification
Vocabulary with the 土 radical
338 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 土 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (63/338 words of this radical).
together
shopping mall
to be at; to be present
at home
ground, earth
an adverbial particle, roughly "-ly," placed after an adjective or adverb and before the verb to indicate the manner in which an action is performed
on the ground, on the floor
map
place, locality
stadium
parking lot; car park
Earth
subway; metro
subway station; metro station
field; ground (for sports or activities)
bad person; villain
disadvantage; harm; drawback
wall
the whole stadium; the entire venue
theater; playhouse
various places; everywhere; all regions
soil; earth
region; area
occasion; situation
place; venue
resolute; determined
strong-willed; staunch
to not mind, to not care
typical, exemplary
land, soil
to care about, to mind
to lie in, to rest on
underground
status, standing
address
place, region, area
to take (a vehicle, boat, plane)
inner, intrinsic
area, region
potato
including
present, on the scene
region, area
terrain
earthquake
the mainland, the interior (refers to mainland China proper, excluding Hong Kong and Macau)
to appear, to come on stage or onto the field
shopping mall, commercial center
garden, grounds
Christmas
basement
place name
floor
venue, site
terrible, a mess, hopeless
to go on stage; to take the field
ending, outcome, fate
to fall, to drop
unbearable, cannot endure
to increase day by day, to grow steadily over time
medium-sized, of medium dimensions
place of production, place of origin
per capita
Why learn vocabulary by the 土 radical?
The 土 radical hints at the meaning earth, soil. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.
How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 54 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 338 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.