铝 (lǚ) is a Chinese character meaning “aluminium (aluminum), chemical element Al”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 吕 (two mouths stacked; a pitch-pipe name (also a surname)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “aluminium”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
钅 + 吕
Left–right structure
- 钅 metal radical (left-side form of 金) · jīn meaning
- 吕 two mouths stacked; a pitch-pipe name (also a surname) · lǚ sound
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：钅 5 画 + 吕 6 画 = 11 画）
Memory aid
Metal (钅) beside 吕, two stacked mouths — picture two light aluminium pots stacked on top of each other. This is a memory aid built from the real parts 钅 and 吕.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 铝合金lǚ hé jīnaluminium alloy铝 = lǚ
- 铝锅lǚ guōaluminium pot铝 = lǚ
Go deeper
All readings
aluminium
aluminium (aluminum), chemical element Al
一种银白色的轻金属，化学元素，符号 Al。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 铝合金lǚ hé jīnaluminium alloy铝 = lǚ
- 铝锅lǚ guōaluminium pot铝 = lǚ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 铝 mean?
铝 (lǚ) means aluminium (aluminum), chemical element Al.
How do you pronounce 铝?
It is pronounced lǚ.
What parts is 铝 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 吕 (two mouths stacked; a pitch-pipe name (also a surname)), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：钅 5 画 + 吕 6 画 = 11 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 铝 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 铝?
钅. 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 铝?
Common ones are 铝合金 and 铝锅. The reading of 铝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.