How to Write 锰 (měng) — Meaning “manganese (chemical element)”

Think of 'meng' like the beginning of 'manganese' — both start with 'man'. Picture a metal block (钅) next to a child under a bowl (孟 looks like 子 over 皿) to remind you that manganese is a metal element found in ore.

The radical 钅 should be written narrow on the left, with the first stroke being a short horizontal flick. The right part 孟 is written with 子 on top (3 strokes) and 皿 below (5 strokes) — be careful not to make the 子 too tall or the 皿 too wide.

Although all have the metal radical 钅, 锰 (manganese) uses the right part 孟, while 铐 (handcuffs) uses 考 and 铑 (rhodium) uses 老. Their pronunciations and meanings are completely different — 锰 is a common metal, while 铐 is a tool and 铑 is a rare precious metal.

锰 appears mainly in scientific and industrial contexts, such as in the words 锰矿 (manganese ore) and 锰钢 (manganese steel). It is not used in daily conversation, but you might see it in chemistry textbooks or news about mining, as China is a major producer of manganese.

Common words containing 锰 include: 锰矿 (měng kuàng) — manganese ore; 锰钢 (měng gāng) — manganese steel; 锰粉 (měng fěn) — manganese powder.