How to Write 镏 (liú) — Meaning “Lutetium / To gild”

Picture a piece of metal (钍) that you want to keep or "stay" (留) as gold – gold that stays on the surface. You can also remember the sound "liú" by thinking of "Liu" the goldsmith who makes gold stay on items. This visual helps link the metal radical with the idea of gilding.

Write the left radical 钍 first: three horizontal strokes followed by a vertical hook. The right side 留 starts with a dot and horizontal stroke, then a left-falling stroke, and finishes with horizontal and vertical strokes for the bottom. A common mistake is confusing the top part of 留 with 卯; note that 留 has a dot and a short left-falling stroke, not the complex top of 卯.

The main difference is the right-side component: 镏 uses 留, 锖 uses 青 (meaning blue or green), and 锗 uses 者. 锗 is a different element (germanium) with pronunciation zhě, while 锖 is rare and usually refers to tarnish or rust. Visually, check the right half to quickly distinguish them.

镏 appears mainly in chemistry for the element lutetium (镏元素) and in craftsmanship for gilding (镏金). The gilding technique (镏工艺) has a long history in Chinese decorative arts, used to coat metal objects with gold for luxury items and restorations. Although not common in everyday speech, it remains important in scientific and traditional craft contexts.

Common words containing 镏 include: 镏金 (liú jīn) — Gilding / Gold plating; 镏元素 (liú yuán sù) — Lutetium (element); 镏工艺 (liú gōng yì) — Gilding process.