shān
noun #10,180

Meanings

  1. 1 coral (as in 珊瑚)

Examples

Shānhújiāo shì hǎiyáng shēngtài de zhòngyào zǔchéng bùfen.
Coral reefs are an important part of the ocean ecosystem.
名字珊珊
Tā de míngzi jiào Shānshān.
Her name is Shanshan.

Tips

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

Stroke Order

shān