Mandarin TempleMandarin Temple Beta Come for Knowledge. Stay for Wisdom.
Start your Chinese Learning JourneyStart Now
镅 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
镅méiamericiumg, 14 strokes, radical 钅, rank #61053, Very Hard
镅méiamericium (chemistry)unknown, 14 strokes, radical 钅, rank #61053, Very Hard
méi(mei2) T2
  1. 1americium
  2. 2americium (chemistry)
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

镅(鎇)méi(mei2)

镅 (méi) refers to americium, a synthetic element in the actinide series of the periodic table. It is primarily used in smoke detectors and as a neutron source in various applications. The term is mainly used in scientific and educational contexts, particularly in chemistry and physics.

Strokes14Radical钅Frequency#61053DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

Americium is named after America, reflecting the country's role in the development of nuclear technology. The element's discovery in the 1940s marked a significant advancement in the field of chemistry and materials science.

Memory Tip

Imagine a 'may' flower blooming in America, symbolizing the element americium. The character 镅 has the metal radical 钅 (indicating metal) and is pronounced like 'may,' connecting it to its American roots.

Meanings of 镅

méi(mei2)
1americium
2americium (chemistry)
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 镅

镅Simplified
鎇Traditional
14Strokes
钅Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 镅

JasonAmy

Podcast: 镅

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 镅

Usage Notes

This term is quite specialized and is usually encountered in formal scientific texts. Learners should be cautious with the pronunciation, ensuring to retain the correct tone (méi) to avoid confusion with other similar-sounding words.

HSK Study Tips

While 镅 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, understanding it can help learners in specialized fields such as chemistry. Students should focus on recognizing the radicals and components of characters related to science for better comprehension.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 镅 with similar-sounding characters, leading to mispronunciation. For example, saying 'mā' instead of 'méi' changes the meaning entirely. Always remember to use the correct tone.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 镅

Premium — Locked

AI tone practice

Pro

Drill the tone of 镅 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.

Tone drillsInstant feedback+5 XP
See plans to unlock

Etymology of 镅

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

metal

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

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 镅

  1. 1The meaning half钅 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half眉 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 镅? 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 镅?

Decomposition of 镅

IDS Structure⿰钅眉
镅Full Character
=
钅jin1
left
眉mei2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 镅?

How to say americium in Chinese

“americium” in Chinese is镅méi

镅 (méi) refers to americium, a synthetic element in the actinide series of the periodic table. It is primarily used in smoke detectors and as a neutron source in various applications. The term is mainly used in scientific and educational contexts, particularly in chemistry and physics.

When to use 镅

This term is quite specialized and is usually encountered in formal scientific texts. Learners should be cautious with the pronunciation, ensuring to retain the correct tone (méi) to avoid confusion with other similar-sounding words.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 镅 with similar-sounding characters, leading to mispronunciation. For example, saying 'mā' instead of 'méi' changes the meaning entirely. Always remember to use the correct tone.

Write 镅

镅

Practice writing 镅 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 镅

Words Containing This Character1
镅méiamericium (chemistry)鎇
Exercise 1 of 1

Compound Meaning

What does 镅 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 镅

Americium is widely used in smoke detectors, helping to save lives by detecting smoke and fire.

Jason Recommends

Not sure what to learn after 镅?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.