HSK 6 · Science

元素 yuánsù “element” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 元素 means

  1. element
  2. factor
  3. element (key component of sth)
  4. (chemistry) element
  5. (maths.) element (member of a set)

How to say 元素

  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale元yuán2nd tone, rising
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale素sù4th tone, falling

元素 in a sentence

  1. 氢是最轻的元素。

    Qīng shì zuì qīng de yuánsù.

    Hydrogen is the lightest element.

    Sentence #5670790 from Tatoeba

  2. 铁和氧都是化学元素。

    Tiě hé yǎng dōu shì huàxué yuánsù.

    Iron and oxygen are both chemical elements.

    Sentence #343294 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  3. 即时策略游戏通常会融入街机元素。

    Jíshí cèlüè yóuxì tōngcháng huì róngrù jiējī yuánsù.

    Real-time strategy games often include arcade elements.

    Sentence #13958988 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 元素 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 元 (yuán) with each of its parts in a different colour
元yuáncurrency unit
  • 二two · èr
  • 儿legs · ér

Memory aidA person 儿 with the head marked on top 二: the head, the first. Today it is also China’s main unit of money.

The character 素 (sù) with each of its parts in a different colour
素sùraw silk
  • 龶part of the character
  • 糸silk · mì

How to write 元素

元 4 strokes · 素 10 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

元素 (yuánsù) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 元素 (yuánsù). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 元素

Words with 元

元yuán · Chinese monetary unit公元gōngyuán · CE (Common Era)元旦Yuándàn · New Year’s Day单元dānyuán · unit (forming an entity)元首yuánshǒu · head of state元宵节Yuánxiāojié · Lantern Festival多元化duōyuánhuà · diversification

Words with 素

因素yīnsù · element素食sùshí · vegetarian food朴素pǔsù · plain素质sùzhì · quality要素yàosù · key element维生素wéishēngsù · vitamin

More words: Science & Technology

遥控yáokòng · remote control液体yètǐ · liquid音响yīnxiǎng · audio system仪器yíqì · instrument运算yùnsuàn · mathematical operation运行yùnxíng · to run正负zhèngfù · positive and negative直径zhíjìng · diameter

FAQs

元素 (yuánsù) means “element” or “factor”. It is an HSK 6 word.
Say it yuánsù: yuán with a 2nd tone, then sù with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 元素 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type yuansu with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 元素 from the suggestions. Typing yuansu into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
元素 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.