Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (钅) is compressed and narrower to leave ample space for the right phonetic component (同), keeping the whole character centered and vertically balanced.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 銅 uses the full radical 金 (metal), which is simplified in modern Chinese to 钅 on the left side.
1. Meaning
copper (chemical element)
made of copperbrass or bronze in certain compound contexts
NounNeutral#materials#chemistry#metals
Sample Usage
这根电线是用铜做的。
zhè gēn diànxiàn shì yòng tóng zuò de.
This wire is made of copper.
铜币
tóngbì
copper coin
2. Sound
/[tʰʊŋ³⁵]/Tone: 35
銅
tóngtong2
|
++
´(35)
=tóng
Initial Consonant
t
Type: Aspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: t as in top
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth, releasing a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
ong
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ong rhymes with song
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts at mid pitch and rises steeply to high pitch, matching the intonation of an English speaker asking 'What?' in disbelief.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, it shifts to a high rising contour depending on speech tempo, but standard citation form remains Tone 2.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the vowel with '-ang' or '-eng'. Ensure you maintain the rounded back vowel '-ong' (rhyming with 'song').
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid pitch and sweep your hand upward sharply to a high pitch, exactly like asking a surprised question: 'Tong?'
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (钅) is compressed and narrower to leave ample space for the right phonetic component (同), keeping the whole character centered and vertically balanced.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 銅 uses the full radical 金 (metal), which is simplified in modern Chinese to 钅 on the left side.
4. Components
Radical钅 · Metal Radical (metal or minerals)
Semantic Clue (形旁):钅 (Indicates that copper is a metal substance.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):同 (original sound: tóng)
The metal radical (钅) on the left tells you it is a metal, while the character for 'same' (同) on the right provides the pronunciation 'tóng'.
钅 Metal classifier / semantic clue
同 Phonetic clue providing the sound 'tóng'
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
14· Phonetic Root: 同 (tóng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the metal classifier 钅 (originally 金) and 同 (tóng, meaning same), pointing to a standardized metallic element known since ancient times.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to copper specifically, and later expanded to describe various copper alloys, coins, and medals.
Copper was one of the earliest metals worked by ancient humans, giving rise to the Bronze Age (Bronze is 青铜 qīngtóng in Chinese).
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
đồng
Corresponds to the Vietnamese low-rising or dipping tone (hỏi/ngã/nặng variant context), matching the rising pitch contour.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ドウ (dō) / Kun: あかがね (akagane)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
동
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 't-' and final '-ong' parallel common East Asian loanword and historical phonology strata where Middle Chinese entering tones or nasal finals correspond to predictable Sino-Xenic readings.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Imagine a shiny **metal** (钅) wire that carries the **exact same** (同) electrical current through your house—that precious metal is **copper** (tóng).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
洞
dòngcaveAdd water (氵) to metal (钅) to get a water-carved cave.
筒
tǒngtubeReplace metal (钅) with bamboo (⺮) to make a bamboo tube.
桐
tóngpaulownia treeReplace metal (钅) with wood (木) to get the paulownia tree.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
同(tóng)
同 means 'same' and lacks the metal radical (钅) on the left.
桐(tóng)
桐 has the wood radical (木) instead of the metal radical (钅), referring to a tree.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
電線內部通常是用[___]做的。
Clue: tóng
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the phonetic component 同 (tóng) with the full character 铜 (tóng), forgetting to add the metal radical 钅.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 铜, what metal element and pronunciation come to mind?
Production: How do you write the character for the metal 'copper' using a metal radical and the sound component 'same'?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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銅tóngcopper
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