How to Write 镩 (cuān) — Meaning “Ice pick / To pierce”

Imagine an ice pick made of metal (钅) that can quickly "flee" or dart through ice — the sound "cuān" is like "can" as in "I can pierce this ice." Picture a person holding a metal tool and shouting "Cuān!" as they break the ice.

The left radical 钅 should be narrow, and the right side 窜 is tall with many strokes, especially the bottom part that looks like a mouse (鼠). A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the short diagonal strokes near the bottom tail.

镩 (cuān) means ice pick and is made of metal (钅) plus 窜. 镆 (mò) is a rare character for a type of sword or metal, with 莫 on the right. 镇 (zhèn) means to press or a town, using 真 on the right, and is very common in everyday language.

镩 appears in words like 镩子 (ice pick) and 镩冰 (to break ice with a tool), mainly in northern China during winter ice fishing or ice harvesting. It is a specialized term not found in standard HSK vocabulary, so you will mostly see it in regional or technical contexts.

Common words containing 镩 include: 镩子 (cuān zi) — Ice pick / Chisel; 镩冰 (cuān bīng) — To break ice (with a tool); 镩孔 (cuān kǒng) — To punch a hole.