How to Write 锕 (ā) — Meaning “Actinium”

Imagine a metal (钅) keychain shaped like an 'A', because actinium's chemical symbol is Ac. The right part 阿 looks like a hill (阝) next to a mouth (口) saying 'ah' — actinium is radioactive, so you might say 'ah!' in surprise.

Write the left radical 钅 first: three horizontal strokes, then a vertical, then a rising stroke. Then write the right part 阿: left ear radical (阝) with two strokes, then the mouth (口) in three strokes. A common mistake is making the 钅 too narrow or forgetting the rising stroke at the bottom.

锕 (ā) means actinium, 钰 (yù) means 'treasure' or 'hard metal', and 钱 (qián) means 'money'. Visually, 锕 has the right component 阿, while 钰 has 玉 (jade) on the right, and 钱 has 戋 (small/thin) on the right. Pay attention to the right side to tell them apart.

锕 is a specialized character used mainly in chemistry, referring to the radioactive element actinium. It appears in scientific terms like 锕系 (actinide series) and 锕元素 (actinium element). You won't encounter it in daily conversation; it is only seen in textbooks or research papers about nuclear chemistry.

Common words containing 锕 include: 锕系 (ā xì) — Actinide series; 锕元素 (ā yuán sù) — The element actinium; 锕原子 (ā yuán zi) — Actinium atom.