How to Write 塥 (gé) — Meaning “dry, hard soil”

Imagine the left side 土 as a patch of soil, and the right side 畐 as a cracked, dry field with grid-like lines on its surface. The shape of 畐 looks like a square divided into sections, reminding you of hard soil that has split apart.

Keep the left 土 narrow and tall, only about one-third of the total width. The right component 畐 has several horizontal strokes—make the middle one shorter than the top and bottom, and ensure the bottom section looks like a compact square, not stretched out.

塥 means dry, hard soil, while 埝 (niàn) refers to a low ridge or path between fields, and 域 (yù) means a region or territory. Visually, 塥 has 畐 on the right, 埝 has 念 (thought), and 域 has 或 (or), so you can tell them apart by the right-side component.

塥 is a rare character not in the HSK lists. It appears mainly in agricultural or classical texts, describing fields with dry, crusty soil that is hard to farm. You might also see it in some place names or old land records, but it is not common in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 塥 include: 塥田 (gé tián) — dry fields; 塥土 (gé tǔ) — dry, crusty soil; 塥地 (gé dì) — dry land.