铅 meaning and stroke order
Lead (chemistry)
How to write 铅, stroke by stroke
10 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 铅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lead (chemistry)
- old variant of 鉛|铅[qian1]
- used in 鉛山|铅山[Yan2 shan1] (the name of a place in Jiangxi)
How 铅 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
钅 gives the meaning and 几 hints at the sound.
Radical: 钅 (gold), shared by 223 characters on this site.
How to remember 铅
The metal radical 钅 on the left tells you this is a metal. On the right, 几 sits over 口, so picture a small table (几) with a heavy lump of soft grey metal dropped into an open mouth-shaped box (口).
铅 (qiān) means the metal lead, and it shows up most in everyday words like 铅笔 (qiānbǐ, pencil). You will also see it in health and environment topics, such as 铅中毒 (qiān zhòngdú, lead poisoning). Example: 我用铅笔写字。(Wǒ yòng qiānbǐ xiě zì.) I write with a pencil.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 铅 (qiān) with 船 (chuán, boat), which has the same 几 over 口 on the right but 舟 on the left. Remember that 钅 means metal and 舟 means boat.
Common words with 铅
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 铅笔 | qiānbǐ | (lead) pencil | HSK 6 |
铅 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 铅
How many strokes are in 铅?
铅 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 铅 mean?
铅 (qiān) means lead (chemistry). A common word with it is 铅笔 (qiānbǐ), meaning "(lead) pencil".
How do you pronounce 铅?
铅 is pronounced qiān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 铅?
The radical of 铅 is 钅, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 铅 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 铅?
The traditional form of 铅 is 鈆 and 鉛. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 铅 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 铅 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 铅 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 铅 ever pronounced yán?
Yes, but only in the place name 铅山 (Yánshān), a county in Jiangxi. Everywhere else, including 铅笔, it is qiān.
Does the 铅 in 铅笔 mean pencils contain real lead?
No. Modern pencil cores are graphite, but the name 铅笔 stayed, just like English still says pencil lead.