How to Write 矾 (fán) — Meaning “alum”

Imagine a stone (石) that looks so ordinary (凡) you might overlook it, but this stone is actually alum, which is very useful for cleaning water. The "ordinary stone" reminds you that 凡 in the character gives the sound and the mineral meaning.

Write the left radical 石 first in 5 strokes: horizontal, left-falling, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal. Then write the right side 凡 in 3 strokes: left-falling, horizontal fold curved hook, and finally a small dot inside the hook. A common mistake is forgetting the dot inside 凡, so be sure to include it.

矾 (fán) has the right side 凡 (with a dot inside), meaning alum. 矶 (jī) has 几 (jǐ, without a dot) and means a rock or jetty by the water. 矸 (gān) has 干 (gàn) and refers to waste rock in mining. The dot in 凡 is a key visual clue to tell them apart.

矾 is mainly used in chemical and industrial contexts, such as in 明矾 (míng fán, alum) for water purification or 矾土 (fán tǔ, alumina) for making aluminum. It is not a common character in daily conversation but appears in textbooks about chemistry or traditional crafts like dyeing.

Common words containing 矾 include: 明矾 (míng fán) — Alum; 矾土 (fán tǔ) — alumina; bauxite; 胆矾 (dǎn fán) — Blue vitriol / Chalcanthite.