珊

shān
noun #10,180

Meanings

  1. 1 coral

Examples

HSK 1
她的名字叫珊珊。
Tā de míngzi jiào Shānshān.
Her name is Shanshan.
HSK 7-9
Shānhújiāo shì hǎiyáng shēngtài de zhòngyào zǔchéng bùfen.
Coral reefs are an important part of the ocean ecosystem.

Tips

usage
珊 rarely appears alone. Its main use is in 珊瑚 (coral). It is also a popular character in female names, e.g. 珊珊, 珊瑚.

Components

radical
王 yù
jade (left-side radical form of 玉)
Left jade radical - visually identical to 王 (king) but officially 玉 with its bottom dot dropped. 珊 is half of 珊瑚 coral, classed with precious materials. Same family: 玛 (in 玛瑙 agate), 琥 amber, 玻 (in 玻璃 glass), 珍 treasure - gem and stone words.
phonetic
册 cè
book; bundle of slips (phonetic)
Right 册 supplies the sound - cè drifting to shān through historical sound change. 册 itself pictures bamboo slips bound together with cord. Pure phonetic role; visually the parallel vertical strokes of 册 give a faint echo of branching coral, but that is a modern mnemonic rather than etymology.

Stroke Order

珊 shān