How to Write 坭 (ní) — Meaning “mud / clay”

Imagine you are walking in mud, and your foot sinks into a "knee" (尼 sounds like "knee") deep in the dirt (土). This visual of your knee stuck in muddy ground helps link the sound and meaning. Alternatively, think of "mud" as "dirt that is like a knee-deep mess."

Write 土 first as three strokes (horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then 尼 with five strokes: 尸 (three strokes) and 匕 (two strokes). A common mistake is writing the 匕 part of 尼 with the wrong direction—the stroke should go down and then curve left, not vertical. Keep the left and right parts balanced; 土 is slightly narrower than 尼.

坭 and 在 both contain 土, but 在 has 才 on the right and means "to be at" or "in," not mud. 圩 has the same 土 radical but combines with 于; it means a dike or market depending on pronunciation. Visually, 坭 has 尼 as a clear component, while 在 uses 才 and 圩 uses 于, so the right sides are completely different.

坭 is used in words like 坭土 (mud, soil) and 坭坑 (mud pit), but it is not common in everyday HSK vocabulary. It appears in the cultural term 坭兴陶 (Nixing pottery), a famous clay art from Guangxi, China, known for its fine craftsmanship. You might also see it in place names or descriptions of wet, earthy environments.

Common words containing 坭 include: 坭土 (ní tǔ) — mud; soil; 坭兴陶 (ní xīng táo) — Nixing pottery; 坭坑 (ní kēng) — mud pit.