Chinese word

铜

Pronunciation

Pinyintóng

Meaning

  • nouncopper

Example

这枚硬币是铜的。zhè méi yìng bì shì tóng de

This coin is made of copper.

Illustration for 铜 (copper)

More examples

工厂每天回收大量的铜。gōng chǎng měi tiān huí shōu dà liàng de tóng

Every day, the factory recycles a large amount of copper.

Core concept

A reddish-yellow metal that carries heat and electricity well and can be shaped into coins, wires, and tools.

Common phrases

  • 铜器tóng qì

    copperware

  • 铜币tóng bì

    copper coin

  • 铜线tóng xiàn

    copper wire

Similar words

金jīn: A valuable yellow metal used for decoration and coins.
银yín: A pale, shiny metal used for ornaments and tableware.
铁tiě: A strong metal that sticks to magnets and is used in buildings and tools.
铝lǚ: A light, silvery-white metal used in cans and aircraft parts.

Definition in Chinese

表示一种金属，即铜，呈红黄色，具有良好导电和导热性，常用于制造硬币、线材和器具。biǎo shì yì zhǒng jīn shǔ jí tóng chéng hóng huáng sè jù yǒu liáng hǎo dǎo diàn hé dǎo rè xìng cháng yòng yú zhì zào yìng bì xiàn cái hé qì jù

Word origin

The simplified character 铜 (tóng, "copper") preserves the metal marker 钅 (jīn, "metal") and the sound-bearing element 同 (tóng, "same"), linking its written form to both meaning and pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • For everyday conversation, treating this word as a material label keeps it distinct from English uses of "copper" that refer to a police officer, a meaning Chinese does not share.

Related words

  • 铜器tóng qìcopperwarenoun
  • 铜制tóng zhìmade of copperadjective
  • 铜管tóng guǎncopper pipenoun

Word lists with this word