金 meaning and stroke order
Gold; chemical element Au; generic term for lustrous and ductile metals
How to write 金, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 金
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- gold
- chemical element Au
- generic term for lustrous and ductile metals
- money
- golden
- highly respected
How 金 is built
Pictographic character. A cast-iron bell.
How to remember 金
The data describes 金 as a picture of a cast-iron bell: the roof-like 人 on top is the bell's crown, and the 王 with two small dots (丷) below looks like the metal body with bits of ore inside. Think of a heavy metal bell, and you have metal, gold, and money.
金 (jīn) appears in many money words like 现金 (xiànjīn, cash), 奖金 (jiǎngjīn, bonus), and 奖学金 (jiǎngxuéjīn, scholarship). It also means gold itself, as in 金牌 (jīnpái, gold medal). Example: 你可以付现金吗？(Nǐ kěyǐ fù xiànjīn ma?) Can you pay in cash?
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 金 (jīn) with 全 (quán, whole). Both have 人 on top, but 全 has only 王 underneath, while 金 adds two small dots on either side of the vertical stroke.
Common words with 金
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 现金 | xiànjīn | cash | HSK 3 |
| 资金 | zījīn | funds; capital | HSK 3 |
| 金牌 | jīnpái | gold medal | HSK 3 |
| 黄金 | huángjīn | gold; golden (opportunity) | HSK 4 |
| 美金 | měijīn | American dollar; US dollar | HSK 4 |
| 奖金 | jiǎngjīn | premium; award money | HSK 4 |
| 奖学金 | jiǎngxuéjīn | scholarship | HSK 4 |
| 基金 | jījīn | fund | HSK 5 |
| 押金 | yājīn | deposit; down payment | HSK 5 |
| 金钱 | jīnqián | money; currency | HSK 6 |
| 租金 | zūjīn | rent | HSK 6 |
| 金融 | jīnróng | banking; finance | HSK 6 |
| 金额 | jīn'é | sum of money; amount of money | HSK 6 |
| 金子 | jīnzi | gold | HSK 7-9 |
金 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 金
Learning 金 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 金
How many strokes are in 金?
金 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 金 mean?
金 (jīn) means gold; chemical element Au; generic term for lustrous and ductile metals. A common word with it is 现金 (xiànjīn), meaning "cash".
How do you pronounce 金?
金 is pronounced jīn, in the first tone (high and level).
Is 金 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 金 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why do so many metal characters contain 金?
金 is the radical for metals, so characters like 银 (yín, silver), 铁 (tiě, iron), and 钱 (qián, money) use it. When it sits on the left side, it is written in a narrow form, 钅.
Is 金 also used as a surname?
Yes, 金 (Jīn) is a common Chinese surname. It is also the usual way to write the Korean surname Kim in Chinese.