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鑄 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鑄zhùto melt, to cast; to mint, to coinx, 22 strokes, radical 釒
zhù(zhu4) T4
  1. 1to melt, to cast; to mint, to coin
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March 24, 2026

鑄zhù(zhu4)

The character 鑄 (zhù) means 'to melt or cast metal,' commonly used in the context of metallurgy or manufacturing. It can also refer to 'minting' or 'coining' money, indicating the process of producing currency. This word is often used in technical contexts and in discussions about industry or craftsmanship.

Strokes22Radical釒
Cultural Note

鑄 is significant in Chinese history, especially regarding ancient coinage methods. The process of minting coins was a crucial aspect of trade and economy in historical China, reflecting the importance of craftsmanship and industry.

Memory Tip

Imagine a blacksmith (the radical 钅 for metal) melting down metal in a forge. The strong sound 'zhù' can be remembered as the sound of metal being poured into a mold – 'zhù' sounds like 'swoosh' as the liquid metal flows.

Meanings of 鑄

zhù(zhu4)
1to melt, to cast; to mint, to coin
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鑄

鑄Simplified
22Strokes
釒Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鑄

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Podcast: 鑄

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AI Study Notes for 鑄

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 鑄 with similar-sounding characters that relate to different concepts. This word is more formal and technical, often found in discussions about manufacturing rather than in casual conversation. Common collocations include 鑄造 (to cast) and 鑄幣 (to mint coins).

HSK Study Tips

Though 鑄 is not currently on the HSK list, students should focus on understanding its connection to related words like 鋼 (steel) and 銅 (copper), which are also related to metal and manufacturing. Recognizing characters with the metal radical can aid in understanding various technical vocabulary.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 鑄 with the character 鋳 (to mold), leading to incorrect usage in context. For example, saying '我想鑄一個模型' (I want to cast a model) should correctly use 鋳 instead of 鑄.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鑄

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Etymology of 鑄

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 寿 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鑄.

Memory Hint

metal

Semantic (meaning)釒
+
Phonetic (sound)壽
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鑄

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 寿 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鑄.

  1. 1The meaning half釒 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half壽 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaymetal
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 鑄? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 鑄?

Decomposition of 鑄

IDS Structure⿰釒壽
鑄Full Character
=
釒jin1
left
壽shou4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鑄?

How to say to melt, to cast; to mint, to coin in Chinese

“to melt, to cast; to mint, to coin” in Chinese is鑄zhù

The character 鑄 (zhù) means 'to melt or cast metal,' commonly used in the context of metallurgy or manufacturing. It can also refer to 'minting' or 'coining' money, indicating the process of producing currency. This word is often used in technical contexts and in discussions about industry or craftsmanship.

When to use 鑄

Be careful not to confuse 鑄 with similar-sounding characters that relate to different concepts. This word is more formal and technical, often found in discussions about manufacturing rather than in casual conversation. Common collocations include 鑄造 (to cast) and 鑄幣 (to mint coins).

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 鑄 with the character 鋳 (to mold), leading to incorrect usage in context. For example, saying '我想鑄一個模型' (I want to cast a model) should correctly use 鋳 instead of 鑄.

Write 鑄

鑄

Practice writing 鑄 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 鑄

Words Containing This Character13
铸zhùto cast or found metals鑄
铸造zhùzàoto cast (pour metal into a mold)鑄造
铸成to cast in metal鑄成
铸件casting鑄件
铸铁pig iron鑄鐵
铸币coin鑄幣
浇铸to mold澆鑄
连铸continuous casting (metallurgy)連鑄
铸工foundry work鑄工
铸成大错to make a serious mistake (idiom)鑄成大錯
铸铜bronze casting鑄銅
冶铸to smelt and cast冶鑄
冀朝铸Ji Chaozhu (1929-), Chinese diplomat冀朝鑄
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 铸 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鑄

You can say '我們正在鑄造新產品' (We are casting new products) to indicate industrial activity.

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