土 (tǔ) has three main senses: (1) 'soil, earth' — the everyday word for dirt, less formal than 土壤 (tǔ rǎng) and broader than 泥土 (ní tǔ 'mud'); (2) 'local, indigenous' — describing native features, not interchangeable with 乡村 (xiāng cūn 'rural area'); (3) 'unsophisticated, out-of-style' — mildly negative, contrasting with positive 淳朴 (chún pǔ 'simple and honest') and 质朴 (zhì pǔ 'plain').