汞 meaning and stroke order
Mercury (element)
How to write 汞, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 汞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mercury (chemistry)
- variant of 汞[gong3]
How 汞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
水 gives the meaning and 工 hints at the sound.
Radical: 水 (water), shared by 15 characters on this site.
How to remember 汞
汞 (gǒng) puts 工 (gōng) on top of 水 (water). Picture a silvery metal that flows like water, with 工 giving the sound gōng.
汞 is mostly used in science, medicine, and safety contexts, often in compounds like 水银 alternatives or 汞中毒 (gǒng zhòngdú, mercury poisoning). In everyday speech people more often say 水银 (shuǐyín) for mercury. Example: 温度计里有汞。 (Wēndùjì lǐ yǒu gǒng.) There is mercury in the thermometer.
Common mistake: Learners often read 汞 with the first tone like its phonetic part 工 (gōng), but 汞 is third tone, gǒng. Also note the water part sits at the bottom as 水, not as the side form 氵 seen in characters like 江 (jiāng).
汞 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 汞
How many strokes are in 汞?
汞 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 汞 mean?
汞 (gǒng) means mercury (element).
How do you pronounce 汞?
汞 is pronounced gǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 汞?
The radical of 汞 is 水, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 汞 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 汞?
The traditional form of 汞 is 銾. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 汞 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 汞 and 水银?
Both mean mercury. 汞 (gǒng) is the formal chemical name used in science and on labels, while 水银 (shuǐyín, literally water silver) is the common everyday word.
Why does 汞 not have a metal radical like other elements?
Most metal element names use 钅, but 汞 is built with 水 because mercury is a liquid at room temperature. The character is an older one that focuses on its watery quality.