Origin

The character 磁 combines the stone radical 石 on the left, which classifies this character as relating to mineral or rocky substances, with the component 兹 on the right that serves as a sound hint for pronunciation. The stone element makes sense because both magnets and porcelain are solid mineral materials — magnets are often magnetic iron ore, and porcelain is made from fired clay and stone. By pairing the meaning hint (stone) with a sound component (兹), the character efficiently conveys a material that is both stone-like in nature and pronounced similarly to that sound hint.