钙 (gài) is a Chinese character meaning “calcium (chemical element Ca)”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 丐 (beg; beggar), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “calcium”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
钅 + 丐
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形拆分核验：9 画 = 钅 5 画 + 丐 4 画；部首为金部，左旁「钅」是「金」的偏旁形态。右旁「丐」gài 与整字读音 gài 完全一致，判定为声符
Memory aid
A metal (钅) that a beggar (丐) is short of — calcium, the metal your bones beg for.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 补钙bǔ gàito supplement calcium; to take calcium钙 = gài
- 钙片gài piàncalcium tablet钙 = gài
Go deeper
All readings
calcium
calcium (chemical element Ca); the mineral that builds bones and teeth
一种金属元素，符号 Ca；是构成骨骼和牙齿的主要成分。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 补钙bǔ gàito supplement calcium; to take calcium钙 = gài
- 钙片gài piàncalcium tablet钙 = gài
Sound component
丐 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 钙 mean?
钙 (gài) means calcium (chemical element Ca); the mineral that builds bones and teeth.
How do you pronounce 钙?
It is pronounced gài.
What parts is 钙 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 丐 (beg; beggar), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形拆分核验：9 画 = 钅 5 画 + 丐 4 画；部首为金部，左旁「钅」是「金」的偏旁形态。右旁「丐」gài 与整字读音 gài 完全一致，判定为声符. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 钙 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 钙?
金. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 钙?
Common ones are 补钙 and 钙片. The reading of 钙 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.