How to Write 钾 (jiǎ) — Meaning “potassium”

Picture a piece of metal (钅) shaped like an armor (甲) protecting plants from potassium deficiency. Another trick is to think of the chemical symbol K — the right part 甲 looks like a capital 'K' turned sideways. This helps connect the character to its meaning of potassium.

Write the left radical 钅 first (5 strokes: left-falling, horizontal, two horizontals, vertical hook). Then write 甲 on the right (5 strokes: vertical, horizontal, horizontal, horizontal, vertical). Make sure the left side is narrow and the right side is slightly wider. A common mistake is making the vertical stroke in 甲 too short — it should go through the full box.

While all three share the metal radical 钅, they differ in the right part. 钾 has 甲 (a box with a vertical line through it), 钍 has 土 (earth, like a cross), and 钎 has 千 (thousand, with a horizontal at top). Their meanings are also different: 钾 is potassium, 钍 is thorium, and 钎 means drill rod.

钾 appears mainly in scientific and agricultural contexts, such as 钾肥 (potassium fertilizer) for farming and 缺钾 (potassium deficiency) in health discussions. It is also used in chemical names like 氯化钾 (potassium chloride). You won't see it in everyday conversation unless talking about chemistry or nutrition.

Common words containing 钾 include: 钾肥 (jiǎ féi) — potassium fertilizer; 缺钾 (quē jiǎ) — potassium deficiency; 氯化钾 (lǜ huà jiǎ) — Potassium chloride.