How to Write 锖 (qiāng) — Meaning “Tarnish (on metal)”

Imagine a beautiful piece of blue-green jewelry (青) that is made of metal (钅), but over time it loses its shine and becomes tarnished. The color 青 on metal (钅) creates tarnish — that is 锖.

The left side 钅 must be written with the first two strokes as a slanted left-falling stroke and a horizontal stroke crossing it, then a vertical hook. The right side 青 has its lower part 月 not completely closed — the two horizontal strokes inside should be shorter than the outer frame.

锖 (tarnish) has 青 on the right, while 铐 (handcuffs) has 考 (kǎo) on the right — 铐 is a tool for restraining. 铑 (rhodium) has 老 (lǎo) on the right — it is a chemical element. Visually, the right-side components differ clearly: 青, 考, and 老.

锖 appears in specialized contexts like describing metal corrosion, e.g., the word 锖色 for an iridescent tarnish color on ancient bronze artifacts. It is uncommon in daily conversation but can be found in art conservation, metallurgy, or descriptions of aged metal surfaces.

Common words containing 锖 include: 锖色 (qiāng sè) — Tarnish color / iridescent color; 锖斑 (qiāng bān) — Tarnish spots; 锖化 (qiāng huà) — To tarnish.