How to Write 钛 (tài) — Meaning “Titanium”

Picture the left side 钅 as a shiny metal bar and the right side 太 as a person standing with arms stretched out to form the shape of a capital T. This T-shaped person is made of super-strong but lightweight titanium - easy to remember as 'T for titanium'.

Write the radical 钅 first: 5 strokes (left-falling, three horizontals, then a vertical lift). Then add 太 (4 strokes: horizontal, left-falling, right-falling, and a dot). A common mistake is writing the right part like 大 (without the dot) or misplacing the dot too high - the dot should sit under the right-falling stroke.

All three share the metal radical 钅, but their right parts differ: 针 uses 十 (ten), meaning 'needle'; 钉 uses 丁 (nail), meaning 'nail'; 钛 uses 太 (tài), which is purely phonetic and gives the name 'titanium'. So 钛 refers to the specific metal, not a tool.

钛 is common in technical and commercial contexts, such as 钛合金 (titanium alloy) in aerospace or 钛架 (titanium frame) for eyeglasses. It is a modern character, not found in classical texts, and reflects China's role as a major producer of titanium metal.

Common words containing 钛 include: 钛合金 (tài hé jīn) — Titanium alloy; 钛金属 (tài jīn shǔ) — Titanium metal; 钛架 (tài jià) — Titanium frame.