珠

zhū
noun #7,361

Meanings

  1. 1 bead; pearl
  2. 2 ball-shaped object

Examples

HSK 5
Yǎnlèi xiàng zhūzi yíyàng luòxià.
Tears fell like beads.
HSK 6
Tā dài le yìtiáo zhēnzhū xiàngliàn.
She wore a pearl necklace.

Tips

usage
珍珠 (zhēnzhū) = pearl, 珠宝 (zhūbǎo) = jewelry, 眼珠 (yǎnzhū) = eyeball. The 王 (jade) radical indicates a precious object.

Components

radical
王 wáng
jade (here radical form of 玉)
Looks like 王 king but is actually the side-form of 玉 jade - the dot disappears when 玉 sits on the left. It indexes 珠 in the precious-stone family with 玛 agate, 琥 amber, 璀 sparkle. A pearl is bead-jewellery, and the radical pins the meaning to that material.
phonetic
朱 zhū
vermilion; red
Right side 朱 supplies the zhū sound exactly. The 'vermilion red' meaning is dormant, though pearls in many old contexts were strung on red cord. Same phonetic series: 株 a single plant, 蛛 spider, 诛 to punish - all share zhū.

Stroke Order

珠 zhū