How to Write 镚 (bèng) — Meaning “small coin”

Imagine a tiny metal coin (钍) that is so small it can "蹦" (bounce) away easily — both are pronounced bèng. Picture the coin bouncing off a table and making a light "bèng" sound. This links the shape of the character to its sound and meaning.

The left radical 钍 is narrow with 5 strokes: three horizontal lines, a vertical, then a bottom horizontal. The right part 崩 has 11 strokes, starting with 山 (mountain) on top and 朋 (friend) below. A common mistake is making the 钍 too wide or forgetting the bottom horizontal — keep the left side slim and balanced.

镚 (bèng) means "small coin," while 锲 (qiè) means "to carve" and 锴 (kǎi) refers to a type of fine iron. Visually, the right side of 镚 is 崩, but 锲 has 契 and 锴 has 皆. All share the metal radical, but their meanings and pronunciations are completely different.

镚 is used mainly in informal, spoken Chinese, especially in northern dialects, to mean a small coin or penny — for example, 钢镚儿 (steel coin) or 一镚儿 (one penny). It is not common in formal writing but appears in everyday talk about small amounts of money.

Common words containing 镚 include: 钢镚儿 (gāng bèng er) — Coin; 镚子 (bèng zi) — small coin or penny; 一镚儿 (yī bèng ér) — a small coin; a penny.