HanziGuru.鋁 · lǚ
鋁
lǚ[lü3]Tone 3

aluminum

HSK 7
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铝
Guru Deep Dive

English · aluminum

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:11
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (钅) takes up roughly one-third of the horizontal width, compressed slightly, while the right component (吕) occupies the remaining two-thirds with two balanced stacked squares.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 鋁 uses 釒 for the metal radical on the left and 呂 on the right. In the simplified form, 釒 is streamlined to 钅.
1. Meaning

aluminum

metal element of group 13
NounNeutral#science#chemistry#elements#materials
Sample Usage
  • 这种窗户是用铝做的。
    zhè zhǒng chuānghù shì yòng lǚ zuò de.
    This kind of window is made of aluminum.
  • 铝是一种轻金属。
    lǚ shì yì zhǒng qīng jīnshǔ.
    Aluminum is a light metal.
2. Sound
/[ly²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
鋁
lǚlü3
++
ˇ(214)
=lǚ
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
lü
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "ü" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
l
Type: Alveolar Lateral
Sounds like: l sound as in 'lamp'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge right behind the upper front teeth.
Final Rhyme
ü
Vowel Group: -v vowel group
Sounds like: ü sound like German ü or French u
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ü'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts mid, dips down to the lowest register, and climbs back up, matching the skeptical English questioning intonation of a disbelieving 'Really?'.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, lǚ changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35), e.g., lǚguǎn becomes lúguǎn.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the rounded front vowel 'ü' with the plain back vowel 'u' (oo). 'lǚ' uses 'ü', which requires your lips to push forward into a tight circle.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down sharply from mid-height to low chest level, then sweep upward to high-level space.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (钅) takes up roughly one-third of the horizontal width, compressed slightly, while the right component (吕) occupies the remaining two-thirds with two balanced stacked squares.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 鋁 uses 釒 for the metal radical on the left and 呂 on the right. In the simplified form, 釒 is streamlined to 钅.

4. Components

Radical 钅 · metal radical (metal, mineral, tool)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 钅 (indicates that this character represents a metallic chemical element)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 吕 (original sound: lǚ)

The metal radical on the left (钅) tells you it is a metal, and the phonetic component on the right (吕) gives it the sound 'lǚ'.

  • 钅 metal semantic indicator
  • 吕 lǚ phonetic sound clue
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Created in modern times as science expanded and new Western chemical elements needed Chinese names. The metal radical was combined with a phonetic sound-alike character (吕) to represent 'aluminum'.

Semantic Evolution: Coined specifically for modern chemistry to translate the Western element 'aluminum' or 'aluminium'.

  • Modern chemical characters were systematically created in the 19th and 20th centuries using existing phonetic and metal radical components.
6. Sinosphere
Sound Shift Bridge: Aluminum is a modern scientific coinage without traditional classical Sino-Xenic roots.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a shiny modern **metal** (钅) cooking pot shaped like two stacked square blocks (**吕**) made entirely of lightweight **aluminum** (lǚ).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
吕
lǚsurname Lü; pitchpipe, pitch standard, one of the twelve semitones in the traditional tone systemPhonetic Core (声旁)
宫
gōngpalace+ 宀 (roof)
侣
lǚcompanion+ 亻 (person)
铝
lǚaluminum+ 钅 (metal)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
侣(lǚ)
侣 uses the person radical (亻) for companion; 铝 uses the metal radical (钅) for aluminum.
吕(lǚ)
吕 is just the two stacked boxes without any radical prefix.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
這個鍋是用[___]做的，所以非常輕。
Clue: lǚ
Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting to write the simplified metal radical (钅) correctly on the left side or writing the right component with incorrect box proportions.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What chemical element does the character 铝 (lǚ) represent?
Production: How do you write the Chinese character for 'aluminum' using the metal radical and phonetic part?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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