The invention discloses a portable earth surface roughness measuring instrument, comprising a horizontal rotation driving device and a radial moving arm which is connected with the output terminal of the horizontal rotation driving device and can horizontally rotate by taking the output terminal as the center as well as a controller, wherein the radial moving arm is provided with a sliding block which can move along length direction of the radial moving arm; the sliding block is fixedly connected with a distance measuring device and is used for measuring a distance between the sliding block and an upper cushion surface in vertical direction and a distance between the sliding block and a lower cushion surface in the vertical direction; and the controller is used for controlling rotation output of the horizontal rotation driving device, moving of the sliding block on the radial moving arm and starting of the distance measuring device, receiving a measuring result of the distance measuring device, calculating an earth surface roughness result according to a program preset in the distance measuring device and displaying, storing and sending data. The portable earth surface roughness measuring instrument disclosed by the invention has a simple mechanical structure, low cost and high measurement accuracy, is light, handy and portable and can be applied to measurement on the earth surface roughness of the lower cushion surface in agriculture, soil science, weather and climate predication, geology, microwave remote sensing and other fields.