铜 (tóng) is a Chinese character meaning “copper (Cu)”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 同 (same; together), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “copper”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
钅 + 同
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：钅 5 画 + 同 6 画 = 11 画）
Memory aid
Metal (钅) that sounds like 同 (tóng): copper is the metal you hear in its sound part.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 青铜qīng tóngbronze铜 = tóng
- 铜牌tóng páibronze medal铜 = tóng
Go deeper
All readings
copper
copper (Cu); bronze-colored; made of copper
一种金属元素，红色，有光泽，导电导热性好，可以和锡等制成青铜。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 青铜qīng tóngbronze铜 = tóng
- 铜牌tóng páibronze medal铜 = tóng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 铜 mean?
铜 (tóng) means copper (Cu); bronze-colored; made of copper.
How do you pronounce 铜?
It is pronounced tóng.
What parts is 铜 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 同 (same; together), 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 + 同 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 铜 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 铜?
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 铜?
Common ones are 青铜 and 铜牌. The reading of 铜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.