How to Write 锣 (luó) — Meaning “Gong”

Imagine a metal (钅) gong being struck with a stick, producing the loud sound 'luó – luó – luó!' The right side 罗 looks a bit like a net catching the sound waves, helping you connect the shape to the gong’s ringing noise.

The left radical 钅 has a hook at the bottom of its last stroke (竖提), which must be sharp and not too long. On the right, 罗 starts with a 'net' shape (罒) that has four strokes, not the character 四; common mistakes include making this part too wide or confusing the top with '四'.

The right side is the key difference: 锣 uses 罗 (nets), 铐 uses 考 (exam), and 铑 uses 老 (old). Meaning-wise, 锣 is a gong, 铐 means handcuffs, and 铑 is the metal rhodium. Visually, 罗 has a top net-like shape, while 考 has a longer downward stroke and 老 has a different top component.

锣 is common in traditional Chinese music, festivals, and operas, often paired with drums in the phrase 敲锣打鼓 (beat gongs and drums) to celebrate. The idiom 锣鼓喧天 (gongs and drums resound to heaven) describes a very noisy, joyful event. Even today, you see gongs in folk performances and temple ceremonies.

Common words containing 锣 include: 敲锣 (qiāo luó) — to beat a gong; 锣鼓 (luó gǔ) — Gongs and drums; 铜锣 (tóng luó) — Gong.