How to Write 硷 (jiǎn) — Meaning “Alkali”

Imagine a stone (石) that feels slippery like soap; alkali is used in soap making. The right part 佥 looks like three test tubes lined up, reminding you of a chemistry lab with alkaline solutions.

Pay attention to the dot (丶) in the right part 佥, which is placed above the horizontal line and is easy to forget. Also, keep the left radical 石 narrow and the right part slightly wider to maintain balance. The stroke count is 12 total: 5 for 石 and 7 for 佥.

硷 (alkali) has the right component 佥, while 砝 (weight) uses 去 and 砟 (slag) uses 乍. Visually, 佥 contains a dot and two horizontal lines, unlike 去 (earth + private) or 乍 (a short horizontal line). In meaning, 硷 is a chemical, 砝 is for measuring weight, and 砟 is crushed stone waste.

硷 appears in chemistry terms like 硷性 (alkaline) and 强硷 (strong base). In everyday Chinese, it is common in cooking, for example 硷水 (alkaline water) used to make chewy noodles or to treat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). This connects the character to both science and traditional food culture.

Common words containing 硷 include: 硷水 (jiǎn shuǐ) — Alkaline water; 强硷 (qiáng jiǎn) — Strong base, strong alkali; 硷性 (jiǎn xìng) — Alkaline.