How to Write 酮 (tóng) — Meaning “ketone”

Imagine a chemistry lab with two wine bottles labeled "same" (同) because the word "ketone" often appears in pairs like acetone. The radical 酉 looks like a bottle, so picture two identical bottles of ketone chemicals to link the sound and meaning.

Write the left radical 酉 first with 7 strokes, keeping its three horizontal lines evenly spaced. Then add the right side 同 with 6 strokes, making sure the vertical stroke on the left of 同 aligns with the top of 酉. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or forgetting the horizontal stroke inside the "mouth" of 同.

酮 means ketone and uses 同 for sound, while 酕 means "drunk" and uses 毛 (hair). 酖 is an ancient character for poisoned wine, using 冘. Visually, they all share the 酉 radical, but the right parts differ completely, so they are never interchangeable in modern usage.

酮 appears mainly in chemistry and medical contexts, such as 丙酮 (acetone) used in nail polish remover and 酮症 (ketosis) in low-carb diet discussions. You might see it on lab equipment labels or in health articles about the ketogenic diet, but it is not used in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 酮 include: 酮体 (tóng tǐ) — ketone bodies; 丙酮 (bǐng tóng) — Acetone; 酮症 (tóng zhèng) — ketosis.