How to Write 钆 (gá) — Meaning “Gadolinium (chemical element)”

Imagine the right part 乚 looks like a small hook or a needle, and the left metal radical 钅 suggests a metal needle. This can remind you of the chemical element gadolinium, which is a metal used in medical needles and MRI machines.

Pay attention to the left radical 钅: it has 4 strokes, starting with a left-falling stroke, then two horizontal strokes, and a vertical lift. The right part 乚 is a single stroke that curves down and hooks left, and it should be slightly taller than the left radical. A common mistake is making the hook too large or writing the right part as 乙 instead.

Compared to the radical 钅 alone, 钆 has an extra component on the right. Compared to 钇 (yǐ, yttrium), both have a similar structure, but 钆 uses a different hook shape (乚) and has a different pronunciation and element meaning. Remember: 钆 is gadolinium (gá), while 钇 is yttrium (yǐ).

钆 is exclusively used in scientific or chemical contexts to represent the element gadolinium, such as in formulas like 氧化钆 (gadolinium oxide). It is not found in everyday vocabulary or HSK lists, so you will only see it in textbooks, research papers, or industrial materials about rare earth elements.

Common words containing 钆 include: 钆元素 (gá yuán sù) — The element gadolinium; 金属钆 (jīn shǔ gá) — Gadolinium metal; 氧化钆 (yǎng huà gá) — Gadolinium oxide.