Phonetic components
The right-hand half of an element character is an ordinary character borrowed for its sound. Here are all 117 of them: what they mean on their own, how they are read, and which element each one carries. Most transliterate the first syllable of the international name, a few take the second (铝 from aluminium) or the third (碘 from iodine).
- 轻 qīng light; easy, simple; gentle 氢 H qīng
- 亥 hài twelfth earthly branch 氦 He hài
- 里 lǐ unit of distance; village; lane; Kangxi radical 166 锂 Li lǐ
- 皮 pí skin, hide, fur, feather; outer 铍 Be pí
- 朋 péng friend, pal, acquaintance 硼 B péng
- 炭 tàn charcoal; coal; carbon 碳 C tàn
- 炎 yán flame, blaze; hot 氮 N dàn
- 羊 yáng sheep, goat; Kangxi radical 123 氧 O yǎng
- 弗 fú not, negative; dollar 氟 F fú
- 乃 nǎi then; really, indeed; as it turned out, after all; namely 氖 Ne nǎi
- 内 nèi inside 钠 Na nà
- 美 měi beautiful, pretty; pleasing 镁 Mg měi
- 吕 lǚ surname; a musical note 铝 Al lǚ
- 圭 guī jade pointed at top 硅 Si guī
- 粦 lín phosphorus (element 15, P) 磷 P lín
- 㐬 liú (same as 旒; corrupted form of 荒) a cup with pendants, a pennant, wild, barren, uncultivated 硫 S liú
- 录 lù copy, write down, record 氯 Cl lǜ
- 亚 yà Asia; second 氩 Ar yà
- 甲 jiǎ armor, shell; fingernails; 1st heavenly stem 钾 K jiǎ
- 丐 gài beggar; beg; give 钙 Ca gài
- 亢 kàng high, proud; violent, excessive; skilled; name; 2nd lunar mansion, determinative star κ Virginis (Kang) 钪 Sc kàng
- 太 tài very, too, much; big; extreme 钛 Ti tài
- 凡 fán all, any, every; ordinary, common 钒 V fán
- 各 gè each, individually, every, all 铬 Cr gè
- 孟 mèng first in series; great, eminent 锰 Mn měng
- 失 shī lose; make mistake, neglect 铁 Fe tiě
- 古 gǔ old, classic, ancient 钴 Co gǔ
- 臬 niè law, rule; door post 镍 Ni niè
- 同 tóng same, similar; together with 铜 Cu tóng
- 辛 xīn bitter; toilsome, laborious; 8th heavenly stem; Kangxi radical 160 锌 Zn xīn
- 家 jiā house, home, residence; family 镓 Ga jiā
- 者 zhě that which; he who; those who 锗 Ge zhě
- 申 shēn to state to a superior, report; extend; ninth earthly branch 砷 As shēn
- 西 xī west(ern); westward; occident; Kangxi radical 146 硒 Se xī
- 臭 chòu smell, stink, emit foul odor 溴 Br xiù
- 克 kè gram; overcome; transliteration 氪 Kr kè
- 如 rú if, supposing; as if; like, as 铷 Rb rú
- 思 sī think, consider, ponder; final particle 锶 Sr sī
- 乙 yǐ second; 2nd heavenly stem 钇 Y yǐ
- 告 gào tell, announce, inform; accuse 锆 Zr gào
- 尼 ní Buddhist nun; transliteration 铌 Nb ní
- 目 mù eye; look, see; division, topic; Kangxi radical 109 钼 Mo mù
- 得 dé obtain, get, gain, acquire 锝 Tc dé
- 了 le to finish; particle of completed action 钌 Ru liǎo
- 老 lǎo old, aged; experienced; Kangxi radical 125 铑 Rh lǎo
- 巴 bā greatly desire, anxiously hope 钯 Pd bǎ
- 艮 gěn Kangxi radical 138; trigram ☶; hexagram ䷳ 银 Ag yín
- 鬲 gé type of caldron with three hollow legs; name of a state; Kangxi radical 193 镉 Cd gé
- 因 yīn cause, reason; by; because (of) 铟 In yīn
- 易 yì change; easy 锡 Sn xī
- 弟 dì young brother; junior; I, me 锑 Sb tī
- 帝 dì supreme ruler, emperor; god 碲 Te dì
- 典 diǎn law, canon; documentation; classic, scripture 碘 I diǎn
- 山 shān mountain, hill, peak 氙 Xe xiān
- 色 sè color, tint, hue, shade; form, body; beauty, desire for beauty; Kangxi radical 139 铯 Cs sè
- 贝 bèi sea shell; money, currency 钡 Ba bèi
- 阑 lán door screen; railing fence 镧 La lán
- 市 shì market, fair; city, town; trade 铈 Ce shì
- 普 pǔ universal, general, widespread 镨 Pr pǔ
- 女 nǚ woman, girl; feminine; Kangxi radical 38; 10th lunar mansion, determinative star ε Aquarii (Albali) 钕 Nd nǚ
- 叵 pǒ cannot, be unable do, improbable; thereupon 钷 Pm pǒ
- 彡 shān hair; Kangxi radical 59 钐 Sm shān
- 有 yǒu have, own, possess; exist 铕 Eu yǒu
- 乚 yǐn hidden, mysterious, secret; to conceal; small; minute 钆 Gd gá
- 忒 tè excessive; too; very-usually of objectionable things; to err; to mistake; changeable 铽 Tb tè
- 啇 dì to stalk; the stem; the foot; the base 镝 Dy dī
- 火 huǒ fire, flame; burn; anger, rage 钬 Ho huǒ
- 耳 ěr ear; merely, only; handle; Kangxi radical 128 铒 Er ěr
- 丢 diū discard 铥 Tm diū
- 意 yì thought, idea, opinion; think 镱 Yb yì
- 鲁 lǔ foolish, stupid, rash; vulgar 镥 Lu lǔ
- 合 hé combine, unite, join; gather 铪 Hf hā
- 旦 dàn dawn; morning; day 钽 Ta tǎn
- 乌 wū crow, rook, raven; black, dark 钨 W wū
- 来 lái come, coming; return, returning 铼 Re lái
- 我 wǒ our, us, i, me, my, we 锇 Os é
- 衣 yī clothes, clothing; cover, skin; Kangxi radical 145 铱 Ir yī
- 白 bái white; pure, unblemished; bright 铂 Pt bó
- 工 gōng labor, work; worker, laborer 汞 Hg gǒng
- 它 tā it; other 铊 Tl tā
- 㕣 yǎn a marsh at the foot of the hills, (interchangeable 湢 沇) name of a river 铅 Pb qiān
- 必 bì surely, most certainly; must 铋 Bi bì
- 卜 bo bǔ fortune telling; prophesy 钋 Po pō
- 艾 ài artemisia, mugwort 砹 At ài
- 冬 dōng winter, 11th lunar month 氡 Rn dōng
- 方 fāng a square, rectangle; a region; local 钫 Fr fāng
- 雷 léi thunder 镭 Ra léi
- 阿 ā prefix for people's names; used in transliteration 锕 Ac ā
- 土 tǔ soil, earth; items made of earth 钍 Th tǔ
- 菐 pú a thicket 镤 Pa pú
- 由 yóu cause, reason; from 铀 U yóu
- 拿 ná take, hold, grasp; bring; with 镎 Np ná
- 不 bù no, not; un-; negative prefix 钚 Pu bù
- 眉 méi eyebrows; upper margin of book 镅 Am méi
- 局 jú bureau, office; circumstance 锔 Cm jú
- 咅 pǒu to spit out 锫 Bk péi
- 开 kāi open; initiate, begin, start 锎 Cf kāi
- 哀 āi sad, mournful, pitiful; pity 锿 Es āi
- 费 fèi expenses, expenditures, fee 镄 Fm fèi
- 门 mén gate, door, entrance, opening 钔 Md mén
- 若 ruò if, supposing, assuming; similar 锘 No nuò
- 劳 láo labor, toil, do manual work 铹 Lr láo
- 卢 lú cottage, hut; surname; black Rf lú
- 杜 dù stop, prevent; restrict; surname Db dù
- 喜 xǐ like, love, enjoy; joyful thing Sg xǐ
- 波 bō waves, breakers; undulations Bh bō
- 黑 hēi black; dark; evil, sinister; Kangxi radical 203 Hs hēi
- 麦 mài wheat, barley, oats; simplified form of Kangxi radical 199 鿏 Mt mài
- 达 dá arrive at, reach; intelligent; smooth, slippery Ds dá
- 仑 lún logical reasons, logical order Rg lún
- 哥 gē elder brother 鿔 Cn gē
- 尔 ěr you; that, those; final particle 鿭 Nh nǐ
- 夫 fū man, male adult, husband; those Fl fū
- 莫 mò do not, is not, can not; negative 镆 Mc mò
- 立 lì stand; let stand; establish, set Lv lì
- 田 tián field, arable land, cultivated 鿬 Ts tián
- 奥 ào mysterious, obscure, profound 鿫 Og ào