How to Write 铴 (tāng) — Meaning “Small gong”

Think of a small gong made of metal (钅) that makes a sound like "tang" when struck. Imagine hitting a tiny gong with a spoon and hearing a bright "tāng" noise. This links the metal radical and the sound component 汤 together.

The left side 钅 (metal radical) has three horizontal strokes, and the right side 汤 has three dots on top of 昜. A common mistake is to write the right part with too few strokes—make sure the three dots are clear. The overall character should be balanced, with the left side slightly narrower than the right.

铴 (tāng) means a small gong, while 钙 (gài) means calcium (a chemical element) and 钚 (bù) means plutonium. Visually, the right part differs: 铴 has 汤 (soup/broth), 钙 has 丐 (beggar), and 钚 has 不 (not). All share the metal radical, but their meanings are completely unrelated.

铴 appears mostly in traditional music contexts, referring to a small gong used in Chinese opera or folk ensembles. It is also found in the word 铴锅 (tāng guō), meaning a scalding pot for hot water or soup. This character is rare in everyday speech and is not part of the HSK vocabulary list.

Common words containing 铴 include: 铴锣 (tāng luó) — Small gong; 铴子 (tāng zi) — Small gong; 铴锅 (tāng guō) — Scalding pot.