How to Write 钕 (nǚ) — Meaning “Neodymium”

Imagine a woman (女) holding a shiny metal (钅) magnet, because neodymium is famous for making strong magnets. The sound "nǚ" matches the word for woman, so you can think "neodymium woman with a metal magnet."

Pay attention to the left radical 钅: its third stroke is a horizontal line, and the final two strokes are downward hooks — do not make it too wide. The right part 女 must be balanced, with the first stroke (撇) crossing the second (捺) at a moderate angle, not too steep.

钕 (nǚ, neodymium) uses the phonetic 女, while 钆 (gá, gadolinium) uses 乜 and 钇 (yǐ, yttrium) uses 乙 — each represents a different rare-earth element. Visually, the right parts are distinct: 钕 has the familiar "woman" component, 钆 has a slanted hook, and 钇 has a simple curve.

钕 appears mainly in scientific and industrial contexts, especially in terms like 钕磁铁 (neodymium magnet) used in headphones and electric motors. It is not a daily word, but learners may encounter it when studying chemistry or technology-related Chinese materials.

Common words containing 钕 include: 钕磁铁 (nǚ cí tiě) — Neodymium magnet; 钕元素 (nǚ yuán sù) — The element neodymium; 强力钕 (qiáng lì nǚ) — Strong neodymium.