HSK 3.0 · LEVEL 1
块
A piece, lump, or chunk; also a very common classifier for money (like 'buck') or items like cake and cloth.
Free Chinese vocabulary flashcard · HSK 1
Why does 块 look like this?
土 (Earth/Soil) + 决 (Decide/Burst - here acting as a phonetic and structural component). The 'Earth' radical tells us this word originally related to physical pieces of soil or clods of earth. Together, they represent a solid 'piece' or 'lump' of something!