How to Write 砷 (shēn) — Meaning “arsenic”

Imagine a stone (石) that is so poisonous you must explain (申) its danger carefully. Or picture the 申 part as a warning sign with a vertical line through a box, reminding you that arsenic is a hidden poison inside a stone. This helps link the shape to its toxic meaning.

Write the left radical 石 with normal proportions — a short horizontal, a left-falling stroke, then a vertical and a horizontal-bottom. For the right side 申, make sure the vertical stroke goes straight through the center without touching the top and bottom horizontal lines too tightly. A common mistake is making the 石 too wide or the 申's vertical stroke off-center.

All three have the 石 radical, but their right sides differ: 砷 uses 申 (meaning stretch), 矸 uses 干 (gān, meaning dry or stem), and 矻 uses 乞 (kū, meaning beg). In meaning, 砷 is the toxic element arsenic, 矸 refers to waste rock in mining (gangue), and 矻 is a rare character for hard work or toil. Visually, 申 has a central vertical line with three horizontal bars, while 干 looks like a plus sign and 乞 has a curved hook.

砷 appears mainly in scientific and medical contexts, especially in the phrase 砷中毒 (arsenic poisoning) and words like 含砷 (contains arsenic) or 砷化物 (arsenide). It is commonly seen in chemistry textbooks, safety warnings about polluted water or soil, and occasionally in historical discussions of traditional medicine. Because arsenic is highly toxic, this character often appears in cautionary or technical materials.

Common words containing 砷 include: 砷中毒 (shēn zhòng dú) — arsenic poisoning; 含砷 (hán shēn) — contains arsenic; 砷化物 (shēn huà wù) — arsenide.