铵

銨
ǎn
noun #29,095

Meanings

  1. 1 ammonium (chemistry)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Liúsuān ǎn shì yī zhǒng chángyòng de dàn féi.
Ammonium sulfate is a commonly used nitrogen fertilizer.
HSK 7-9
Ǎn lízǐ zài shuǐzhōng dài zhèng diànhè.
Ammonium ions carry a positive charge in water.

Tips

memory
铵 combines 金 (metal radical, indicating a chemistry/ionic term) with 安 (ān) for the sound - giving you the phonetic cue for 'ammonium'.

Components

radical
钅 jīn
metal (radical form of 金)
Left-side metal radical, the simplified five-stroke form of 金. 铵 is the Chinese name for ammonium, a chemistry coinage: the metal radical signals an inorganic cation, putting 铵 in the modern element/compound family with 钠 sodium, 钾 potassium, 锌 zinc. Most chemistry-related characters get this radical even when no actual metal is involved.
phonetic
安 ān
peace; safe
Right side 安 supplies the sound: ān → ǎn with tone shift only, the cleanest possible phonetic match. 安 was chosen for the modern element-name 铵 specifically to mimic the 'amm-' of ammonium / Latin ammoniacum. Same phonetic family: 按 to press, 案 case/file, 鞍 saddle.

Stroke Order

铵 ǎn