钅

Metal Radical (钅)

jīn · 5 strokes · Full form: 金

The metal radical (钅) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 49 characters related to metal and associated concepts. The standalone character form is 金 (5 strokes); the component form 钅 is used inside compound characters. 49 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 24 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 钅 is also a character component. As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For component-specific details including role analysis and position patterns, see the Metal Component (钅) page.

Metal Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count5 (钅)
Total Characters49
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (24 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes11
Standalone Form金 (jīn)
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Metal Radical Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

钱qiánmoney钟zhōngclock, bell

HSK 2 (2 characters)

铁tiěiron错cuòwrong, mistake

HSK 3 (3 characters)

银yínsilver, bank铅qiānlead锻duànto forge

HSK 4 (6 characters)

金jīnmetal, gold钢gāngsteel针zhēnneedle镜jìngmirror键jiànkey (on a piano or computer keyboard)钥yuèkey

HSK 5 (4 characters)

锁suǒto lock锅guōpot铃língbell销xiāoto melt (metal)

HSK 6 (7 characters)

铜tóngcopper镇zhèntown, to suppress链liànchain钻zuānto drill钓diàoto fish鉴jiànbronze mirror (used in ancient times)铺pùstore

HSK 7-9 (24 characters)

钉dīngto nail锋fēngsharp, vanguard钞chāobanknote钩gōuto hook锈xiùrust锦jǐnbrocade锐ruìacute镑bàngpound (sterling) (loanword)铲chǎnto scrape the ground with a spade (to make it level or to remove weeds)锤chuíhammer钙gàicalcium (chemistry)锯jùa saw (CL:把[ba3])钧jūn30 catties铝lǚaluminum (chemistry)铭míngto engrave钳qiánpincers钦qīnto respect锡xītin (chemistry)镶xiāngto inlay铸zhùto cast or found metals钝dùnblunt钮niǔsurname Niu锄chúa hoe锲qièto cut

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

镁měimagnesium (chemistry)

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the metal radical mean in Chinese characters?
The metal radical (钅) signals a semantic connection to metal-related concepts. When you see 钅 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves metal or associated ideas. With 49 characters using this radical, it is one of the more productive radicals in Chinese. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the metal radical?
There are 49 characters with the metal radical (钅) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 24 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental metal-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What is the difference between 钅 and 金?
金 is the standalone character form (jīn, meaning "metal"), while 钅 is the simplified radical form used as a component inside other characters. When writing characters that contain the metal radical, you write 钅 rather than the full form 金. Both forms represent the same radical — the component form 钅 is adapted for compact positioning within a character's structure.
What are the most common metal radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the metal radical (钅) are: 金 (jīn, "metal, gold"), 钱 (qián, "money"), 错 (cuò, "wrong, mistake"), 银 (yín, "silver, bank"), 铁 (tiě, "iron"). These high-frequency characters are among the first metal-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include metal radical characters?
Characters with the metal radical (钅) appear across 8 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 24 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 24 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common metal-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision.