About
坭 is a variant of the character 泥, meaning mud, clay, or soil. It is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 土 (earth) on the left, indicating its material, and the phonetic component 尼 (ní) on the right, providing the pronunciation. While the standard 泥 uses the water radical 氵 to highlight mud's wetness, 坭 emphasizes its earthy, solid nature. Today, its use is largely confined to regional dialects, place names in southern China, and technical terms for pottery clays.