土 tǔ — earth; dust
种子在土里慢慢发芽。Zhǒng zi zài tǔ lǐ màn màn fā yá.The seed slowly sprouts in the soil.
Common words: 土地 (tǔ dì)、土豆 (tǔ dòu)、本土 (běn tǔ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "dust"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "dust", including 土 (tǔ), 埃 (āi), 粉 (fěn), 尘 (chén). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "dust" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 土 (tǔ), 埃 (āi), 粉 (fěn), 尘 (chén) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tǔ, āi, fěn, chén — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 土 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 土 tǔearth; dustUseful words: 土地, 土豆
- 埃 āidirt; dust; angstromUseful words: 山埃, 埃米
- 粉 fěndust; powderUseful words: 粉色, 粉碎
- 尘 chéndust; dirt; earthUseful words: 灰尘, 后尘
Common words for these 4 "dust" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 土 (tǔ) — so "dust" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
土地tǔ dìland; soil; territory土豆tǔ dòupotato; (Tw) peanut (本土běn tǔone's native country; native; local; metropolitan territory山埃shān āicyanide (loanword); same as 氰化埃米āi mǐangstrom (Å)埃居āi jūécu (French coin, discontinued by the end of the 18th century)粉色fěn sèpink; white; erotic; beautiful woman粉碎fěn suìto crush; to smash; to shatter面粉miàn fěnflour灰尘huī chéndust
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "dust".
埃 āi — dirt; dust; angstrom
空气里飘着许多尘埃。Kōng qì lǐ piāo zhe xǔ duō chén āi.Many specks of dust float in the air.
Common words: 山埃 (shān āi)、埃米 (āi mǐ)、埃居 (āi jū)
粉 fěn — dust; powder
春天，桃花开成了一片粉色。Chūn tiān, táo huā kāi chéng le yí piàn fěn sè.In spring, the peach blossoms bloom into a sea of pink.
Common words: 粉色 (fěn sè)、粉碎 (fěn suì)、面粉 (miàn fěn)
尘 chén — dust; dirt; earth
桌子上落满了灰尘，该擦一擦了。Zhuō zi shàng luò mǎn le huī chén, gāi cā yi cā le.The table is covered with dust; it should be wiped.
Common words: 灰尘 (huī chén)、后尘 (hòu chén)、前尘 (qián chén)
All 4 characters
Open 土、埃、粉 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.