铜

銅
tóng
noun HSK 6 #7,797

Meanings

  1. 1 copper
  2. 2 bronze

Examples

HSK 4
Tā zài bǐsài zhōng dé le yí kuài tóngpái.
She won a bronze medal in the competition.
HSK 5
Zhège guō shì yòng tóng zuò de.
This pot is made of copper.

Tips

history
钅 (metal) + 同 (same) - one of the most ancient metals used in China

Components

radical
钅 jīn
metal; gold (left-side radical form of 金)
Left-side metal radical, the abbreviated form of 金 used whenever metal sits on the left. Indexes 铜 in the family of metal-name characters alongside 铁 iron, 银 silver, 钢 steel, 锌 zinc. Marks 铜 as a metallic element rather than the homophonous 同 (same).
phonetic
同 tóng
same; together
Right side 同 supplies the sound directly, no tone shift - tóng stays tóng. Same phonetic appears in 桐 paulownia tree, 筒 tube, 洞 cave, 恫 to threaten. The 'sameness' meaning does not feed the metal sense; 同 here is purely a sound tag.

Stroke Order

铜 tóng