How to Write 锗 (zhě) — Meaning “Germanium”

Picture a metal box (钅) filled with precious elements, and think of the right side 者 as "the one" — so "the one metal that is germanium." Alternatively, imagine a "germ" (like a tiny seed) made of metal, since germanium is a key material in electronics. The sound "zhě" can help you recall the element's name.

Write the left radical 钅 first (three strokes: short left-falling, horizontal, vertical-hook). Then write the right side 者: start with the top part 土, followed by 日 below. A common mistake is making the right side too wide — keep it balanced, with the 日 slightly narrower than the 土. The total stroke count is 13.

锗 (zhě, germanium) uses the metal radical 钅 with 者, while 铐 (kào, handcuffs) has 钅 with 考 (kǎo) and means a metal restraint. 铑 (lǎo, rhodium) uses 钅 with 老 (lǎo) and is another chemical element. Visually, the right side differs: 者 (upper 土 + 日), 考 (slanting strokes), and 老 (radical 老). Their pronunciations and meanings are completely different.

锗 is a scientific term used mainly in chemistry and electronics, such as in 锗片 (germanium wafers) for semiconductor devices and 锗晶体 (germanium crystals) for infrared optics. It is not common in daily conversation but appears in technical contexts. Germanium was first discovered in China in the 1920s, and its name 锗 is a direct phonetic-sematic translation.

Common words containing 锗 include: 锗片 (zhě piàn) — Germanium wafer; 锗元素 (zhě yuán sù) — The element germanium; 锗晶体 (zhě jīng tǐ) — Germanium crystal.