金

jīn
#260 most
frequent character
gold
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

金 began as a picture of an axe and metal plates, so its first meaning was 'copper.' From there it widened to 'metals,' 'gold,' 'money,' and 'precious.' The top part was once 今, which supplied the sound; on the left it is written 钅.

Drawn as: axe; metal plates

金 as a component in other characters

meaning9 characters
鉴釜鋈鍪鏖鎏鏊鐾銎
sound2 characters
淦唫
picture4 characters
鑫銮錾蓥

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Example Sentences

这个项链是金的。
zhègè xiàngliàn shì jīn de 。
This necklace is made of gold.
他有很多金子。
tāyǒu hěnduō jīnzǐ 。
He has a lot of gold.
金是贵重的金属。
jīn shì guìzhòng de jīnshǔ 。
Gold is a precious metal.

Same Characters, Different Readings

金Jin1
surname Jin, surname Kim (Korean)

Words with similar meanings

黄金huángjīn
gold
More specific term often used to refer to gold in terms of jewelry or investment.

Homophones

斤jīn
a unit of weight (=1/2 kilogram)
筋jīn
tendon
今jīn
now, the present time, current
禁jīn
to endure
津jīn
saliva, sweat, a ferry crossing

Words Starting With 金

金属jīn shǔ
metal
金融jīn róng
banking; finance; financial

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