How to Write 堿 (jiǎn) — Meaning “alkali / soda”

Picture a patch of land (土) that tastes like salty water (咸) — that land is full of alkali. So, "salty earth" = 堿, meaning alkali.

Pay attention to the proportions: the left 土 should be narrower than the right 咸. A common mistake is to make the 咸 part too wide or to write its inner 斜钩 stroke too straight — it needs a gentle curve.

堿 (alkali) contains 咸 (salty), while 垸 (a clay vessel or a place name) contains 完 (complete), and 埂 (a ridge or bank) contains 更 (more/exchange). Visually, the right-side components are clearly different, and their meanings are unrelated to alkali.

堿 appears in scientific and environmental terms like 堿性 (alkaline) and 盐堿地 (saline-alkali land), which is a major agricultural challenge in parts of China. It is also used in chemistry for 纯堿 (soda ash), an important industrial chemical.

Common words containing 堿 include: 堿性 (jiǎn xìng) — alkaline; 盐堿地 (yán jiǎn dì) — saline-alkali land; 纯堿 (chún jiǎn) — soda ash.