矿
kuàng · HSK 6
minevariant of 礦|矿[kuang4]
⛏️ kuàng sounds like QUANG — a quarry goes CLANG when you strike ore
The radical 石 (stone) on the left tells you it's about rocks. The right side 广 (guǎng, broad) hints at the sound kuàng. A mine is just a broad hole in stone where ore comes out.
矿 — stone radical 石 + 广 phonetic
矿 is the simplified form of 礦. The 石 (stone) radical signals the meaning—rocks and minerals dug from the earth—while 广 serves as a simplified phonetic component. Originally it referred to raw ore, and by extension came to mean a mine or mineral deposit.