土
tǔ
earth
- Strokes
- 3
- Radical
- 土
- Structure
- Top-bottom
- Components
- 十 + 一
EASILY CONFUSED CHARACTERS
土 vs 工: what’s the difference?
Compare pronunciation, meaning, construction, and stroke count before practising each character separately.
工
gōng
work
- Strokes
- 3
- Radical
- 工
- Structure
- Top-bottom
- Components
- 一 + 丄
How to tell 土 and 工 apart
土 has 3 strokes and means “earth”, while 工 has 3 strokes and means “work”. Compare their component placement and then open each writing guide to study the exact stroke sequence.
QUICK REFERENCE
土 and 工 side by side
Detail土工PinyintǔgōngMeaningearthworkStroke count33Radical土工StructureTop-bottomTop-bottomComponents十 + 一一 + 丄
CONTRAST PRACTICE
Practice 土 and 工 on one worksheet
Alternate the two forms in Tianzige or Mizige squares so the visual differences become easier to remember.
KEEP COMPARING