矾 (fán): alum

Meanings

过去人们用明矾来沉淀净化浑水。

Guòqù rénmen yòng míngfán lái chéndiàn jìnghuà húnshuǐ.

In the past people used alum to settle and purify muddy water.

油条里明矾太多对身体不好。

Yóutiáo lǐ míngfán tàiduō duì shēntǐ bùhǎo.

Too much alum in fried dough sticks is bad for your health.

usage

矾 refers to alum-type sulfate salts. The common everyday word is 明矾 ('potassium alum'), once widely used to clarify water and as a food additive.

radical

石 shí

stone; mineral

石 ('stone') on the left marks 矾 as a mineral substance — alum is a crystalline rock-like salt.

phonetic

凡 fán

ordinary; in all (phonetic)

凡 ('ordinary') on the right gives the exact sound fán with no tone change and no meaning contribution.

矾 fán