Kanji 土 - soil, earth
Kanji 土 means soil, earth, ground. Onyomi readings are ド (do), ト (to) . Kunyomi readings are つち (tsuchi).
Stroke order animation (3 strokes)
Stroke Order Diagram
Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.
Readings of 土
音On'yomi (音読み)
訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)
土 in different fonts
Vocabulary with 土
| Audio | English  | Romaji | Japanese | Kana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| soil | tsuchi | 土 | つち | |
| Saturday | doyoubi | 土曜日 | どようび |
More Information about 土
つち (tsuchi) vs ド (do)／ト (to) — when to use which?
- つち (tsuchi) is used in native words: 土 (tsuchi)（つち） = soil; 赤土 (akatsuchi)（あかつち） = red earth.
- ド／ト (do/to) is used in compounds: 土地 (tochi)（とち） = land; 土木 (doboku)（どぼく） = civil engineering; 土台 (dodai)（どだい） = foundation.
Common words with 土 (tsuchi/do)
- 土 (tsuchi)（つち）: soil; dirt
- 土地 (tochi)（とち）: land; property
- 土日 (donichi)（どにち）: Saturday & Sunday (the weekend)
- 土足厳禁 (dosoku genkin)（どそくげんきん）: no shoes inside (shoes on = 土足 (dosoku))
- 土砂降り (doshaburi)（どしゃぶり）: pouring rain
- 風土 (fūdo)（ふうど）: local climate/culture
Cultural note: Saturday and Saturn
土曜日 (doyōbi)（どようび） = Saturday. In the old Five Elements (五行 - gogyō) system—木・火・土・金・水 (moku, ka, do, kin, sui)—土 (do) is earth. The planet 土星 (dosei)（どせい） is Saturn.
Often confused: 土 (tsuchi) vs 士 (shi)
They look similar! In 土 (tsuchi), the bottom line is longer. In 士 (shi)（samurai; scholar）, the top and bottom lines are about the same length or the top is longer. Remember: 土 = ground → wider at the bottom.
