How to Write 嗪 (qín) — Meaning “Pyrazine (a chemical compound).”

Picture a scientist holding a flask marked "QIN" and saying "Pyrazine!" through a mouth (口). The sound "qín" resembles the first syllable of "quinine," but 嗪 is actually used for compounds like piperazine. This links the mouth radical with the chemical meaning.

Write the left radical 口 first (3 strokes), then the right part 秦 (10 strokes). In 秦, the top is three horizontal strokes (not 王) followed by 人 and then 禾. A common mistake is making the top of 秦 look like 春; keep the three lines separate and evenly spaced.

嗪 is a modern chemical character, while 㕡 is a rare ancient character meaning "a deep pit" and 唪 means "to recite loudly" in classical texts. Visually, 嗪 has 口 on the left and 秦 on the right, whereas 㕡 has 口 above 學 (simplified) and 唪 has 口 with 奉. Only 嗪 appears in scientific Chinese.

嗪 only appears in chemical compound names such as 哌嗪 (pài qín, piperazine) and 吡嗪 (bǐ qín, pyrazine). It is not used in daily conversation or HSK vocabulary. You will encounter it mainly in chemistry textbooks, pharmaceutical labels, or medical literature.

Common words containing 嗪 include: 哌嗪 (pài qín) — piperazine; 吡嗪 (bǐ qín) — pyrazine; 嗪 (qín) — Pyrazine (a chemical compound)..