rǎng

soil

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
土 meaning component

  Meaning component

  

earth

襄 sound component

  Sound component

xiāng

  

aid

Evolution

壤 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
壤 Clerical script Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical script

Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
壤 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

rǎng

soil, loam, earth; rich; soil; earth

Most common words with 壤
Freq.
Word
Meaning

土壤

soil

平壤

Pyongyang, capital of North Korea

天壤之别

opposite extremes

接壤

to border on

soil