The word "铿锵" is formed by combining two characters, each constructed as a phonosemantic compound. Both 铿 and 锵 share the semantic component 金, meaning "metal", which indicates their association with metallic qualities. The phonetic components 坚 in 铿 suggests the pronunciation "kēng", while 将 in 锵 suggests "qiāng", together creating a disyllabic word that mimics a clanging or ringing sound often produced by metal.