土

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: In this entry, the character is read つち and refers to soil or earth, such as the material plants grow in.
• Basic usage: It describes soil as a material or in a particular condition, such as wet earth. The example concerns planting a seedling in a pot with fresh soil.
  • 鉢に新しい土を入れて苗を植えた。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Soil as material versus the ground's surface
  • 土 focuses on earth as a material, while 地面 focuses on the ground's surface underfoot. 土 is the natural choice for what goes into a plant pot.