吨
dùn · HSK 5
metric ton
⚖️ 吨 = 口 (mouth/unit radical) + 屯 (dùn, phonetic) → metric ton
The 口 radical marks 吨 as a measure-word/unit, while 屯 (tún/dùn) supplies the sound. Modern coinage borrowed from English ton; the character was built phonetically rather than pictographically.
吨 — mouth 口 + heavy/dull 屯
A phono-semantic compound. The mouth radical 口 hints at meaning related to swallowing or a heavy mass, while 屯 (tún) supplies the sound, shifted to dùn. Originally meaning to gulp down whole, it was later borrowed as a measure word for 'ton' (weight).