zhū
noun #7,361

Meanings

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

Examples

Tā dài le yītiáo zhēnzhū xiàngliàn.
She wore a pearl necklace.
Yǎnlèi xiàng zhūzi yīyàng luòxià.
Tears fell like beads.

Tips

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

Components

radical
wáng
jade (here radical form of 玉)
Looks like king but is actually the side-form of jade — the dot disappears when sits on the left. It indexes in the precious-stone family with agate, amber, sparkle. A pearl is bead-jewellery, and the radical pins the meaning to that material.
phonetic
zhū
vermilion; red
Right side 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: a single plant, spider, to punish — all share zhū.

Stroke Order

zhū