铜

Tap the pinyin to hear it

copper (chemistry); see also 紅銅|红铜[hong2 tong2]; CL:塊|块[kuai4]

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

钅 meaning “metal” + 同 sound ( tóng )

Components 钅同

copper · Heisig RSH #281

monks + metal

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
青铜器时代	Qīng tóng qì Shí dài	the Bronze Age; also written 青銅時代\|青铜时代[Qing1 tong2 Shi2 dai4]
铜管乐器	tóng guǎn yuè qì	brass instruments
铜山区	Tóng shān Qū	Tongshan, a district of Xuzhou City 徐州市[Xu2 zhou1 Shi4], Jiangsu
自然铜	zì rán tóng	natural copper; chalcopyrite; copper iron sulfide CuFeS2
古铜色卷尾	gǔ tóng sè juǎn wěi	(bird species of China) bronzed drongo (Dicrurus aeneus)
古铜色	gǔ tóng sè	bronze color
铜官区	Tóng guān Qū	Tongguan, a district of Tongling City 銅陵市\|铜陵市[Tong2 ling2 Shi4], Anhui
青铜器	qīng tóng qì	bronze implement; refers to ancient bronze artifacts, from c. 2,000 BC
铜川市	Tóng chuān Shì	Tongchuan, prefecture-level city in Shaanxi Province 陝西省\|陕西省[Shan3 xi1 Sheng3]
铜山	Tóng shān	see 銅山區\|铜山区[Tong2 shan1 Qu1]
铜水	tóng shuǐ	molten copper; molten bronze
铜仁市	Tóng rén Shì	Tongren, prefecture-level city in Guizhou Province 貴州省\|贵州省[Gui4 zhou1 Sheng3]
白铜	bái tóng	copper-nickel alloy
铜鼓县	Tóng gǔ Xiàn	Tonggu, a county in Yichun City 宜春市[Yi2 chun1 Shi4], Jiangxi
铜器	tóng qì	copper ware; bronze ware
红铜	hóng tóng	copper (chemistry); see also 銅\|铜[tong2]
黄铜	huáng tóng	brass (alloy of copper 銅\|铜[tong2] and zinc 鋅\|锌[xin1])
铜绿层	tóng lǜ céng	patina
金银铜铁锡	jīn yín tóng tiě xī	the five metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin
铜管	tóng guǎn	brass instrument (music)

Characters sharing the sound component 同 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
同 sound part	tóng	same, similar; together with, alike
洞	dòng	cave, grotto, hole, ravine
筒	tǒng	tube, pipe, cylinder; a thick piece of bamboo
酮	tóng	ketone
桐	tóng	Chinese wood-oil tree, Vernicia fordii
侗	tóng	big; ignorant, rude, rustic
峒	dòng	a mountain in Gansu province
硐	tóng	cave; chamber; pit
恫	dòng	fearful, pained, sorrowful
胴	dòng	the large intestine; the body
茼	tóng	chrysanthemum; Glebionis coronarium
垌	dòng	farm, field; used in place names