泥

ní
#1,497 most
frequent character
mud, mire, mashed vegetable, sludge
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

泥 has 氵 water as its meaning part and 尼 ní as its sound part. It first meant mud or muddy soil. The meaning grew to paste or pulp. Read nì, it means to apply plaster to something.

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Example Sentences

外面下雨了，地上都是泥。
wàimiàn xiàyǔ le ， dìshàng dūshì ní 。
It's raining outside, and there is mud all over the ground.
这个地方的泥很湿，走路要小心。
zhègè dìfāng de ní hěn shī ， zǒulù yào xiǎoxīn 。
The mud in this area is very wet, so be careful when walking.
他用泥巴做了一个小雕像。
tāyòng níbā zuòle yígè xiǎo diāoxiàng 。
He made a small statue out of clay.

Same Characters, Different Readings

泥nì
restrained

Words with similar meanings

泥土nítǔ
earth
泥土 refers to soil or earth that may include mud, used more generally in terms of ground materials.
湿土shītǔ
wet earth
湿土 indicates earth that is wet, emphasizing the moisture aspect found in mud.

Homophones

尼ní
Buddhist nun, (often used in phonetic spellings)
呢ní
dense wool fabric (used for coats and jackets)

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