土

tǔ = tu + Ø3

Tu (ethnic group) / surname Tu

tǔ = tu + Ø3

earth / dust / clay / local / indigenous / crude opium / unsophisticated / one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音[ba1 yin1]

土 = 十 + 一 : Tommy Turtle (tu) wants to fix a cross (十) on a flute (一) in the space station's living room (Ø3). He uses dust and clay (土) to hold them together.

土 character breakdown

土
- 一
- 十
  - 一
  - 丨

一

yi̅ = y + Ø1

one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

Maud Younger (y) forgot her keys to the space station (Ø1), all she brought outside was her flute (一). She has no choice but to crash the door with the giant flute.

十

shí = sh + Ø2

ten / 10

十 = 一 + 丨 : Mnemonic symbol: a holy cross. Sherlock Holmes (sh-) is investigating a very strange thing he found in the kitchen of the space station (-2): A big pyramid made of ten (十) crosses (十), which are in turn made out of flutes (一) and dinosaur bones (丨).

Characters with 土 as component

坐

zuò = zu + o4

to sit / to take a seat / to take (a bus, airplane etc) / to bear fruit / variant of 座[zuo4]

坐 = 从 + 土 : Zapatista Zebra (zu) sits next to a rubber chicken (从) on a clay (土) bench (mnemonic symbol for 坐) in the observatory's bathroom.

基

ji̅ = ji + Ø1

(bound form) base; foundation / (bound form) radical (chemistry) / (bound form) gay (loanword from English into Cantonese, Jyutping: gei1, followed by orthographic borrowing from Cantonese)

基 = 其 + 土 : Joan of Arc (ji) has to repair the watchtower (其) In front of the space station (Ø1). The tower needs a new foundation (基), and because it is floating in outer space, Joan of Arc can just add some dirt (土) to its base (基) to create a new foundation.

杜

dù = du + Ø4

surname Du

杜 = 土 + 木 : Doggy Dog (du) finds that there is a Christmas tree (木) growing out of the dirt (土) in the space stations bathroom (Ø4). With a sigh he nips the tree in the bud (杜) and stops (杜) it from growing while it is still small.

杜

dù = du + Ø4

birchleaf pear (tree) / to stop / to prevent / to restrict

尘

塵

chén = ch + (e)n2

dust / dirt / earth

尘 = 土 + 小 : Charlie Chaplin (ch) enters the encampment ((e)n2) as a vicious dust storm (尘) is blowing. He breathes so much dirt (土) that he thinks the dirt got even into his heart (小).

灶

竈

zào = z + ao4

variant of 灶[zao4]

灶 = 土 + 火 : Zorro (z) sets up a new kitchen stove (灶) in the aorta (ao4) by building up a ring of dirt (土) and starting a fire (火) in the center.

灶

zào = z + ao4

kitchen stove / kitchen; mess; canteen

灶

zào = z + ao4

kitchen stove / kitchen

灶 = 土 + 火 : Zorro (z) sets up a new kitchen stove (灶) in the aorta (ao4) by building up a ring of dirt (土) and starting a fire (火) in the center.

增

ze̅ng = z + (e)ng1

to increase / to expand / to add

增 = 土 + 曾 : In front of the engine ((e)ng1) some fireflies (曾) are busy increasing (增) the height of the hill on which engine rests by piling up dirt (土) so that it counts as a mountain. Zorro (z) came to interview them but since they are so tiny they need to use an amplifier (增) so that Zorro can hear what they are saying.

增

ze̅ng = z + (e)ng1

(bound form) to increase; to augment; to add to