土 — Kanji Reference

土 (earth, soil): 3 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ド、ト. Kun: つち.

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土

Property Value
Meaning earth, soil
Strokes 3
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ド、ト
Kun-reading (訓読み) つち
Radical 土 (つちへん - tsuchi-hen) [U+571F]

Stroke Order

The stroke order for 土 follows the standard rule of horizontal lines before vertical lines.

  1. Stroke 1: A short horizontal line (left to right).
  2. Stroke 2: A vertical line starting from the center of the first stroke and going straight down.
  3. Stroke 3: A longer horizontal line at the base (left to right), providing a solid foundation.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 土 is its own radical (部首). It represents a mound of earth or soil rising from the ground. In many kanji, it acts as a semantic component related to land, geography, or construction. It is visually simple, depicting a base line (the ground) with a sprout or mound rising above it.

Mnemonic

  • The Grounded Cross: Imagine a small sprout (the vertical line) pushing up through the soil (the bottom horizontal line) while the top line represents the surface of the earth.
  • The T-Shape: Think of a "T" (the top two strokes) sitting on a sturdy wooden floor (the bottom stroke). It is a "T" on the ground (土).

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ド (Do)

Word Reading Romaji English
土曜日 どようび doyōbi Saturday
土地 とち tochi land / plot
土木 どぼく doboku civil engineering
土産 みやげ miyage souvenir (Note: irregular reading)

ト (To)

Word Reading Romaji English
土器 どき doki earthenware / pottery
領土 りょうど ryōdo territory
国土 こくど kokudo national land

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

つち (Tsuchi)

Word Reading Romaji English
土 つち tsuchi soil / earth
土いじり つちいじり tsuchi-ijiri gardening / playing in the dirt

JLPT N5 Words Using 土

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
土曜日 どようび doyōbi Saturday N5
土地 とち tochi land N4
土産 みやげ miyage souvenir N4
土足 どそく dosoku wearing shoes indoors N3
土台 どだい dodai foundation N3
土砂 どしゃ dosha earth and sand N3
土着 どちゃく dochaku indigenous N2
土壇場 どたんば dotanba the eleventh hour N2

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
土を掘る。 つちをほる。 Tsuchi o horu. I dig the soil.
今日は土曜日です。 きょうはどようびです。 Kyō wa doyōbi desu. Today is Saturday.
この土地は広いです。 このとちはひろいです。 Kono tochi wa hiroi desu. This land is wide.
日本の国土は美しい。 にほんのこくどはうつくしい。 Nihon no kokudo wa utsukushii. Japan's national land is beautiful.
土足で入らないでください。 どそくではいらないでください。 Dosoku de hairanaide kudasai. Please do not enter with your shoes on.
彼は土木工事の仕事をしています。 かれはどぼくこうじのしごとをしています。 Kare wa doboku kōji no shigoto o shite imasu. He works in civil engineering.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
土 ド / つち Earth The bottom stroke is longer than the top.
士 シ Samurai / Man The top stroke is longer than the bottom.
  • 士 (Samurai): Think of a person with broad shoulders (the top line) and a narrow base.
  • 土 (Earth): Think of a stable base (the bottom line) supporting the ground.

Usage Frequency Note

土 is a fundamental kanji used in daily life. It appears frequently in calendars (days of the week), geographical discussions, and construction terminology. It is highly common in both formal writing and casual speech.