How to write 地 (dì, “earth”)
地, an HSK 2 character, is read dì for “earth” and “ground”, and also de (“-ly”). It is HSK 2 in the 2025 syllabus, up from level 1 in the 2021 standard. As a left-right character it splits into 土 (“earth”, the radical), strokes 1–3; 也 (“also”), strokes 4–6, written the left part first. On its own it is an HSK 2 word; it also forms 地铁 (“underground railway”), 地点 (“place”) and 外地 (“parts of the country other than where one is”). Japanese reads it chi, “ground”, as a JLPT N4 kanji.
- Pinyin
- dì, de
- Strokes
- 6
- HSK
- 2
- Radical
- 土 (“earth”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑top leftdownwards
- Rising stroke ㇀bottom leftrightwards
- Horizontal-turn-hook ㇆leftup and right → downwards
- Vertical ㇑topdown and right → downwards
- Vertical-curve-hook ㇟topdown and right → rightwards → upwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 6 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| dì fourth tone | earth; ground; field; place; land | — | 地铁 地点 外地 地图 |
| de neutral tone | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct | — | — |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 2
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 3 word
- Words with it
- 623 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 地
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it… HSK 2 |
| 地铁 地鐵 | dìtiě | underground railway; subway HSK 2 |
| 地点 地點 | dìdiǎn | place; site HSK 3 |
| 外地 | wàidì | parts of the country other than where one is HSK 3 |
| 地图 地圖 | dìtú | map HSK 3 |
| 地方 | dìfang | place; location HSK 3 |
| 草地 | cǎodì | lawn; meadow HSK 3 |
| 地球 | dìqiú | the earth HSK 4 |
| 目的地 | mùdìdì | destination (location) HSK 4 |
| 各地 | gèdì | in all parts of (a country); various regions HSK 4 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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HSK 2, in list order: