铜

銅

tóng

同 + 钅

HSK 2.0Level 6

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

tóng (noun) copper; bronze

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 同 represents the sound. Simplified form of 銅.

Semantic: 钅 Phonetic: 同

About

铜 is the simplified form of 銅, a phono-semantic compound. The left radical 钅 (simplified from 金) indicates a metal, while the right component 同 (tóng) supplies the pronunciation. Although 同 means 'same' or 'together' in other contexts, here it is purely a phonetic marker. The character denotes the element copper and copper alloys like bronze and brass, which were essential for tools, weapons, and ceremonial vessels throughout history. In modern contexts, it commonly appears in terms for electrical wiring, currency, and plumbing, reflecting copper's wide practical applications.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我家有一个铜锅。

Wǒ jiā yǒu yī gè tóng guō.

My family has a copper pot.

铜常用于制作电线。

Tóng cháng yòng yú zhìzuò diànxiàn.

Copper is often used to make wires.

这尊铜像非常古老。

Zhè zūn tóngxiàng fēicháng gǔlǎo.

This bronze statue is very old.

古代人们使用铜钱交易。

Gǔdài rénmen shǐyòng tóngqián jiāoyì.

In ancient times, people used copper coins for trade.

铜的导电性比铁好得多。

Tóng de dǎodiàn xìng bǐ tiě hǎo dé duō.

Copper's electrical conductivity is much better than iron's.

这个地区富含铜矿资源。

Zhège dìqū fùhán tóngkuàng zīyuán.

This region is rich in copper ore resources.

由于铜价上涨，生产成本增加了。

Yóuyú tóngjià shàngzhǎng, shēngchǎn chéngběn zēngjiā le.

Due to the rise in copper prices, production costs have increased.

工程师们正在研究如何回收废旧铜材。

Gōngchéngshī men zhèngzài yánjiū rúhé huíshōu fèijiù tóng cái.

Engineers are researching how to recycle waste copper materials.

Related Characters

Component: 同

Component: 钅

铜