钻
zuān , zuàn · HSK 6
diamond
💎 zuān sounds like zoom — a drill zooms through rock to find diamonds
The character 钻 does double duty: zuān means to drill or bore through, while zuàn means diamond. A drill zooms and burrows; what it uncovers is the gem. Metal radical 钅 plus 占 (occupy) — metal that occupies by piercing in.
钻 — metal radical 钅+ 占 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The metal radical 钅(金) signals a metal tool or object, while 占 (zhān) provides the sound. Originally meant a metal drill or auger; by extension, to bore or drill through. The traditional form is 鑽.