How to Write 氜 (yáng) — Meaning “helium (obsolete term)”

Imagine a helium balloon floating up toward the sun in the sky. The left side 气 looks like the gas in the balloon, and the right side 日 is the sun. So 氜 can be remembered as "sun gas" or "helium from the sun."

Start with the left radical 气: a short left‑falling stroke, then a horizontal with a hook, then a short right‑falling stroke. Next write the right part 日 with four strokes: vertical, horizontal fold, inner horizontal, and final horizontal. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced; a common mistake is making the left part too wide or forgetting the hook on the second stroke of 气.

The right component is different: 氖 has 乃 (nǎi), 氘 has 刀 (dāo), and 氜 has 日 (rì). Their meanings also differ: 氖 means neon, 氘 means deuterium, and 氜 is an obsolete term for helium. The visual shapes are distinct – 氜's right side is a square sun shape, while the others have curved or angled strokes.

氜 is an obsolete term for helium and is not used in modern Chinese. Today the standard word for helium is 氦 (hài). You may only find 氜 in old chemistry books or historical dictionaries, and it has no cultural or everyday relevance.

Common words containing 氜 include: 氜气 (yáng qì) — helium gas (obsolete term); 氜元素 (yáng yuán sù) — the element helium (obsolete term); 氜光 (yáng guāng) — helium light (obsolete term).