How to Write 铯 (sè) — Meaning “Cesium”

Think of "metal" (钅) that has a special "color" (色) — cesium compounds often produce colorful flames. Alternatively, imagine a shiny metal object that is so colorful it looks like a rainbow, and remember that 铯 (sè) sounds like "says" but spelled like "color" in pinyin.

Write the radical 钅 first with five strokes: left-falling, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, and a short upward flick; note that the last stroke of 钅 is an upward flick, not a horizontal line. The right part 色 has six strokes: start with a left-falling stroke, then a hook stroke, then a horizontal left-falling stroke, a horizontal hook, a vertical, and finally a small vertical hook; be careful not to confuse the shape of 色 with the character for "rabbit" (兔).

All three share the metal radical 钅, but the right sides differ: 铯 has 色 (color), 钙 has 丐 (beggar), and 钚 has 不 (no). In meaning, 铯 is cesium, a soft alkali metal; 钙 is calcium, a common alkaline earth metal; and 钚 is plutonium, a radioactive heavy metal. Visually, 色 has a hook and a small vertical stroke at the bottom, while 丐 looks like a T shape and 不 is simpler with a downward stroke.

铯 is used mainly in scientific and technical contexts, such as 铯原子 (cesium atom) in atomic clocks and 铯钟 (cesium clock), which is the most precise timekeeping device. It is not a common character in daily life because cesium is a rare element, but you may encounter it in chemistry textbooks or news about atomic time standards.

Common words containing 铯 include: 铯原子 (sè yuán zi) — Cesium atom; 铯钟 (sè zhōng) — Cesium clock; 金属铯 (jīn shǔ sè) — Cesium metal.