How to Write 钐 (shān) — Meaning “Samarium”

Picture a mountain (山) made of shiny metal (钅) — this is Samarium, a rare earth metal. You can also think "shān" sounds like "shiny," reminding you that samarium is a lustrous metal. This simple image helps connect the shape to the meaning.

The radical 钅 has five strokes: a short left-falling stroke, then three horizontal strokes, and a vertical-turning stroke (提). The mountain 山 has three strokes and should sit directly under the radical. A common mistake is making the 钅 too wide or writing its final stroke as a hook instead of a rising stroke.

All three share the metal radical 钅 but differ in their right-side parts: 钐 has 山 (shān), 钆 has 乚 (gá), and 钇 has 乙 (yǐ). These phonetic parts indicate different pronunciations and represent different rare earth elements: samarium, gadolinium, and yttrium. Visually, 山 is larger and more blocky than the simple hooks 乚 and 乙.

钐 appears mostly in scientific and technical writing, such as chemistry textbooks, the periodic table, and discussions of rare earth metals. It is commonly seen in terms like 钐磁铁 (samarium magnet) in industry and electronics. Culturally, it reflects China's leading role in rare earth mining and processing.

Common words containing 钐 include: 钐元素 (shān yuán sù) — Samarium element; 钐磁铁 (shān cí tiě) — Samarium magnet; 金属钐 (jīn shǔ shān) — Samarium metal.