How to Write 锞 (kè) — Meaning “Ingot”

Imagine a small gold ingot that looks like a golden fruit, so you can think of 锞 as a 'gold fruit' — the left side is 钅 (gold) and the right side is 果 (fruit). This visual trick helps you connect the parts to the meaning of a small, precious metal object.

Make sure the left radical 钅 is written narrow and slightly taller, while the right side 果 should be balanced and not too wide. A common mistake is to make the top of 果 too big or to misplace the horizontal strokes — remember that 果 has a short vertical stroke after the field-like top part.

锞 (kè) means 'small ingot' and has 果 on the right, while 铐 (kào) means 'handcuffs' and has 考 on the right, and 铑 (lǎo) is the chemical element rhodium with 老 on the right. The visual difference is in the right-side component, and their meanings are completely unrelated.

锞 is rarely used in everyday modern Chinese and is not part of HSK vocabulary, but you may encounter it in historical novels or dramas describing ancient currency. The most common word is 锞子 (kè zi), meaning a small ingot of gold or silver, often given as gifts in old times.

Common words containing 锞 include: 锞子 (kè zi) — Small ingot; 金锞子 (jīn kè zi) — Small gold ingot; 银锞子 (yín kè zi) — Silver ingot.