Usage note
土表示泥土、土地。
tǔ biǎo shì ní tǔ 、 tǔ dì。
Soil means earth or ground.
Context note
土常用于自然、农田和建筑。
tǔ cháng yòng yú zì rán 、 nóng tián hé jiàn zhù。
Soil often appears with nature, farmland, and construction.
5 examples
地上有土。
dì shàng yǒu tǔ。
There is soil on the ground.
这块土很湿。
zhè kuài tǔ hěn shī。
This soil is very wet.
种花要用好土。
zhǒng huā yào yòng hǎo tǔ。
You need good soil to grow flowers.
土路很难走。
tǔ lù hěn nán zǒu。
A dirt road is hard to walk on.
他手上沾了土。
tā shǒu shàng zhān le tǔ。
His hands got dirt on them.
5 mini stories
春天的时候，土里长出小草。
chūn tiān de shí hòu， tǔ lǐ cháng chū xiǎo cǎo。
In spring, little grass grows from the soil.
孩子们在土里玩。
hái zi men zài tǔ lǐ wán。
The children play in the dirt.
农民仔细看着土。
nóng mín zǐ xì kàn zhe tǔ。
The farmer carefully looked at the soil.
这条路是土路，不太好走。
zhè tiáo lù shì tǔ lù， bú tài hǎo zǒu。
This road is a dirt road and not easy to walk on.
他把花种在松软的土里。
tā bǎ huā zhǒng zài sōng ruǎn de tǔ lǐ。
He planted the flower in soft soil.
Mini dialogue
种花
A
我们需要一些土来种花。
Wǒmen xūyào yīxiē tǔ lái zhòng huā.
We need some soil to plant flowers.
B
好的，我去花园里挖点土。
Hǎo de, wǒ qù huāyuán lǐ wā diǎn tǔ.
Okay, I will go dig some soil in the garden.
玩泥土
A
小心，别把土弄到衣服上。
Xiǎoxīn, bié bǎ tǔ nòng dào yīfu shàng.
Be careful, don't get soil on your clothes.
B
知道了，我会注意的。
Zhīdào le, wǒ huì zhùyì de.
Got it, I will be careful.
Related words and contrasts
related
泥
ní
mud
泥 is mud, which is soil (土) mixed with water.
related
地
dì
ground; earth
地 means the ground or earth, the surface made of soil (土).
contrast
干净
gān jìng
clean
干净 means clean. Soil (土) can make things not clean, so they are a useful contrast for learners.