How to Write 铋 (bì) — Meaning “bismuth”

Think of "必" which looks like a heart with a line, meaning "must" or "certainly", and combine it with the metal radical 钅. Imagine that bismuth (铋) is a metal that you "must" have for certain medical or industrial uses. This visual link can help you recall the character.

Start by writing the radical 钅 (three horizontal strokes, then a vertical hook, and a final short horizontal stroke). Then write 必: first a dot, then a horizontal hook, then a vertical stroke through the center, and finally a left-falling stroke. A common mistake is writing the 必 component too wide or misplacing the dot, which should be above the horizontal hook.

铋 (bì) means bismuth and has the phonetic 必 inside. 钍 (tǔ) means thorium and contains 土 (earth). 钎 (qiān) means a drill or borer and contains 千 (thousand). Visually, the right side is different: 铋 has 必, 钍 has 土, and 钎 has 千. Their pronunciations and meanings are completely different.

铋 is primarily used in scientific and industrial contexts, such as in 金属铋 (bismuth metal) and 氧化铋 (bismuth oxide). It is also found in medicine, like 铋剂 (bismuth preparation) used for stomach issues. Bismuth is not a commonly known element in daily life, so this character appears mostly in technical or academic materials.

Common words containing 铋 include: 铋剂 (bì jì) — bismuth preparation; 金属铋 (jīn shǔ bì) — Bismuth metal; 氧化铋 (yǎng huà bì) — Bismuth oxide.