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mandarin123.com >> character >> Section 5 : Radicals in Chinese characters
Every Chinese character can be decomposed into radicals(部首 bu4 shou3 : initial portion) and/or simpler Chinese character(s).
Learning most common radicals (214 entries) for Chinese characters not only helps you recognize structure of new Chinese character, but also its meaning and pronunciation sometimes.
Examples are given below for clarification, also see Chinese character classification for more infomation.
- Structure : 鸞 (luan2, a mythical bird from Chinese mythology): 糸, 言, 糸 over 鳥.
- Meaning : 好 (hao3, good): 女 "woman" + 子 "child"
(a cultural cliché of a woman with a child being the symbol of goodness) - Pronunciation : 沐 (mu4, bathe; cleanse): 氵"water" + 木 mu4
In following table, information like radical, English name, stroke count and examples were taken from Dictionary of Chinese Characters and zhongwen.com.
| No. | Radical (Simplified ) |
Variants | Pinyin | English Name | Stroke Count | Example |
| 1 | 一 | yi1 | one | 1 | 七 : Seven | |
| 2 | 丨 | gun3 | line | 1 | 不 : no; not | |
| 3 | 丶 | zhu3 | dot | 1 | 主 : main; owner | |
| 4 | 丿 | 乀(fu2) 乁(yi2) |
pie1 | slash | 1 | 久 : for a long time |
| 5 | 乙 | 乚(yin3) 乛 |
yi4 | second | 1 | 九 : nine |
| 6 | 亅 | jue2 | hook | 1 | 事 : matter; thing | |
| 7 | 二 | er4 | two | 2 | 五 : five | |
| 8 | 亠 | tou2 | lid | 2 | 亮 : light; bright | |
| 9 | 人 | 亻 | ren2 | man | 2 | 他 : he; him |
| 10 | 儿 | ren2 | legs | 2 | 兄 : elder brother | |
| 11 | 入 | ru4 | enter | 2 | 内 : inside; within | |
| 12 | 八 | 丷 | ba1 | eight | 2 | 公 : public; common |
| 13 | 冂 | jiong3 | down box | 2 | 再 : again; once more | |
| 14 | 冖 | mi4 | over | 2 | 冠 : crown; hat | |
| 15 | 冫 | bing1 | ice | 2 | 冷 : cold | |
| 16 | 几 | ji1 | table | 2 | 凡 : ordinary; worldly | |
| 17 | 凵 | qu3 | open box | 2 | 出 : to go out; to occur | |
| 18 | 刀 | 刂 | dao1 | knife | 2 | 刃 : edge of blade |
| 19 | 力 | li4 | power | 2 | 助 : to help; to assist | |
| 20 | 勹 | bao1 | wrap | 2 | 包 : to wrap; to cover | |
| 21 | 匕 | bi3 | spoon | 2 | 北 : north | |
| 22 | 匚 | fang1 | right open box | 2 | 匯 : remit; to exchange | |
| 23 | 匸 | xi3 | hiding enclosure | 2 | 匹 : measure word for horses, mules | |
| 24 | 十 | shi2 | ten | 2 | 半 : half | |
| 25 | 卜 | bu3 | Mysticism | 2 | 占 : to divine | |
| 26 | 卩 | jie2 | seal | 2 | 印 : stamp; print | |
| 27 | 厂 | han4 | cliff | 2 | 原 : original; level | |
| 28 | 厶 | si1 | private | 2 | 去 : to leave | |
| 29 | 又 | you4 | again | 2 | 友 : friend | |
| 30 | 口 | kou3 | mouth | 3 | 吃 : eat | |
| 31 | 囗 | wei2 | enclosure | 3 | 回 : return; reply | |
| 32 | 土 | tu3 | earth | 3 | 地 : earth; land | |
| 33 | 士 | shi4 | scholar | 3 | 壯 : to strengthen; strong | |
| 34 | 夂 | sui1 (bottom) | go | 3 | 夏 : summer | |
| 35 | 夊 | zhi (top) | go slowly | 3 | 备 : to prepare; to equip | |
| 36 | 夕 | xi4 | evening | 3 | 梦 : to dream | |
| 37 | 大 | da4 | big | 3 | 奇 : odd (Num) | |
| 38 | 女 | nü3 | woman | 3 | 她 : she | |
| 39 | 子 | zi3 | child | 3 | 孕 : pregnant | |
| 40 | 宀 | mian2 | roof | 3 | 客 : customer; visitor | |
| 41 | 寸 | cun4 | inch | 3 | 寺 : Buddhist temple | |
| 42 | 小 | xiao3 | small | 3 | 尖 : point (of needle); sharp | |
| 43 | 尢 | 尣 | wang1 | lame | 3 | 尬 : in an embarrassing situation |
| 44 | 尸 | shi1 | corpse | 3 | 尾 : tail | |
| 45 | 屮 | che4 | sprout | 3 | 屯 : to station (soldiers); to store up | |
| 46 | 山 | shan1 | mountain | 3 | 岩 : cliff; rock | |
| 47 | 川 | 巛 巜 (gui4) |
chuan1 | river | 3 | 州 : (United States) state; province |
| 48 | 工 | gong1 | work | 3 | 巧 : skillful | |
| 49 | 己 | ji3 | oneself | 3 | 巴 : (suff. for certain nouns) to hope; to wish |
|
| 50 | 巾 | jin1 | turban | 3 | 布 : (cotton) cloth | |
| 51 | 干 | gan1 | dry | 3 | 平 : flat; peaceful | |
| 52 | 幺 | yao1 | short thread | 3 | 幼 : young | |
| 53 | 广 | yan3 | dotted cliff | 3 | 床 : bed | |
| 54 | 廴 | yin3 | long stride | 3 | 建 : to establish; to build | |
| 55 | 廾 | gong3 | two hands | 3 | 弈 : to play Chinese chess game | |
| 56 | 弋 | yi4 | shoot | 3 | 式 : form; pattern; style | |
| 57 | 弓 | gong1 | bow | 3 | 張 ( 张 ) : (a measure word) for paper; open up | |
| 58 | 彐 | 彑 | ji4 | snout | 3 | 彗 : comet |
| 59 | 彡 | shan1 | bristle | 3 | 影 : picture; reflection; shadow | |
| 60 | 彳 | chi4 | step | 3 | 往 : toward; (of a train) bound for | |
| 61 | 心 | 忄 | xin1 | heart | 4 | 忍 : to endure; to tolerate |
| 62 | 戈 | ge1 | halberd | 4 | 我 : I; me; myself | |
| 63 | 戶 | hu4 | door | 4 | 房 : house | |
| 64 | 手 | 扌 | shou3 | hand | 4 | 打 : beat; fight |
| 65 | 支 | zhi1 | branch | 4 | 攲 : incline; lean; slant | |
| 66 | 攴 | 攵 | pu1 | rap | 4 | 改 : to change; to correct |
| 67 | 文 | wen2 | script | 4 | 斑 : variegated | |
| 68 | 斗 | dou3 | dipper | 4 | 料 : material; stuff | |
| 69 | 斤 | jin1 | axe | 4 | 斬 (斩) : behead; chop | |
| 70 | 方 | fang1 | square | 4 | 旗 : banner; flag | |
| 71 | 无 | wu2 | not | 4 | 既 : already; since | |
| 72 | 日 | ri4 | sun | 4 | 早 : early; morning | |
| 73 | 曰 | yue1 | say | 4 | 最 : (the) most; -est | |
| 74 | 月 | yue4 | moon | 4 | 朋 : friend | |
| 75 | 木 | mu4 | tree | 4 | 果 : fruit; result | |
| 76 | 欠 | qian4 | lack | 4 | 款 : section; funds | |
| 77 | 止 | zhi3 | stop | 4 | 歪 : askew | |
| 78 | 歹 | dai3 | death | 4 | 死 : to die; inflexible | |
| 79 | 殳 | shu1 | weapon | 4 | 毀 : to destroy; to damage | |
| 80 | 毋 | mu2 | do not | 4 | 毒 : poison; narcotics | |
| 81 | 比 | bi3 | compare | 4 | 毘 : adjoin; border | |
| 82 | 毛 | mao2 | fur | 4 | 毯 : blanket; rug | |
| 83 | 氏 | shi4 | clan | 4 | 民 : the people; citizen | |
| 84 | 气 | qi4 | steam | 4 | 氧 : oxygen | |
| 85 | 水 | 氵 | shui3 | water | 4 | 江 : river |
| 86 | 火 | 灬 | huo3 | fire | 4 | 炒 : saute; pan-fry |
| 87 | 爪 | 爫 | zhao3 | claw | 4 | 爬 : crawl; climb |
| 88 | 父 | fu4 | father | 4 | 爺 : grandpa | |
| 89 | 爻 | yao2 | double x | 4 | 爽 : invigorating; bright | |
| 90 | 爿 | qiang2 | half tree trunk | 4 | 牆 (墙) : wall | |
| 91 | 片 | pian4 | slice | 4 | 牌 : signboard; plate | |
| 92 | 牙 | ya2 | fang | 4 | 牚 : prop; shore | |
| 93 | 牛 | 牜 | niu2 | cow | 4 | 牲 : domestic animal |
| 94 | 犬 | 犭 | quan3 | dog; canine | 4 | 狐 : fox |
| 95 | 玄 | xuan2 | profound | 5 | 率 : rate; frequency | |
| 96 | 玉 | 王 | yu4 | jade | 5 | 珠 : bead; pearl |
| 97 | 瓜 | gua1 | melon | 5 | 瓢 : dipper; ladle | |
| 98 | 瓦 | wa3 | tile | 5 | 瓶 : bottle; (a measure word) | |
| 99 | 甘 | gan1 | sweet | 5 | 甜 : sweet | |
| 100 | 生 | sheng1 | life | 5 | 產 ( 产 ) : to produce; give birth | |
| 101 | 用 | yong4 | use | 5 | 甩 : fling | |
| 102 | 田 | tian2 | field | 5 | 男 : male | |
| 103 | 疋 | pi3 | bolt of cloth | 5 | 疑 : to doubt; to suspect | |
| 104 | 疒 | chuang2 | sickness | 5 | 疼 : (it) hurts; pain | |
| 105 | 癶 | bo4 | dotted tent | 5 | 登 : climb; go up | |
| 106 | 白 | bai2 | white | 5 | 皂 : soap | |
| 107 | 皮 | pi2 | skin | 5 | 皺 ( 皱 ) : wrinkled | |
| 108 | 皿 | min3 | dish | 5 | 盆 : basin | |
| 109 | 目 | mu4 | eye | 5 | 盯 : stare; gaze | |
| 110 | 矛 | mao2 | spear | 5 | 矜 : esteem; sympathize | |
| 111 | 矢 | shi3 | arrow | 5 | 短 : short | |
| 112 | 石 | shi2 | stone | 5 | 硬 : hard; stiff | |
| 113 | 示 | 礻 | shi4 | spirit | 5 | 神 : God; divine essence |
| 114 | 禸 | rou3 | track | 5 | 離 ( 离 ) : to leave | |
| 115 | 禾 | he2 | grain | 5 | 秋 : autumn; harvest time | |
| 116 | 穴 | xue4 | cave | 5 | 空 : sky; empty | |
| 117 | 立 | li4 | stand | 5 | 站 : station; to halt | |
| 118 | 竹 | zhu2 | bamboo | 6 | 筆 ( 笔 ) : pen; pencil | |
| 119 | 米 | mi3 | rice | 6 | 粉 : dust; powder | |
| 120 | 糸 ( 纟) | mi4 | silk | 6 | 紙 ( 纸 ) : paper | |
| 121 | 缶 | fou3 | jar | 6 | 缸 : jar; vat | |
| 122 | 网 | 罒 | wang3 | net | 6 | 罰 : to punish; to penalize |
| 123 | 羊 | yang2 | sheep | 6 | 羚 : antelope | |
| 124 | 羽 | yu3 | feather | 6 | 翅 : wing | |
| 125 | 老 | lao3 | old | 6 | 耆 : man of sixty or seventy | |
| 126 | 而 | er2 | and | 6 | 耐 : to be unbearable; unable to endure | |
| 127 | 耒 | lei3 | plow | 6 | 耕 : to plow; to till | |
| 128 | 耳 | er3 | ear | 6 | 聾 ( 聋 ) : deaf | |
| 129 | 聿 | yu4 | brush | 6 | 肅 ( 肃 ) : respectful | |
| 130 | 肉 | rou4 | meat | 6 | 肌 : flesh; muscle | |
| 131 | 臣 | chen2 | minister | 6 | 臥 ( 卧 ) : to lie; to crouch | |
| 132 | 自 | zi4 | self | 6 | 臭 : smelly | |
| 133 | 至 | zhi4 | arrive | 6 | 致 : to send; to convey | |
| 134 | 臼 | jiu4 | mortar | 6 | 舅 : maternal uncle | |
| 135 | 舌 | she2 | tongue | 6 | 舔 : to lick; to lap | |
| 136 | 舛 | chuan3 | oppose | 6 | 舜 : name of an emperor | |
| 137 | 舟 | zhou1 | boat | 6 | 船 : a boat; vessel; ship | |
| 138 | 艮 | gen4 | stopping | 6 | 良 : good; very; very much | |
| 139 | 色 | se4 | color | 6 | 艷 ( 艳 ) : glamorous | |
| 140 | 艸 | 艹 | cao3 | grass | 6 | 花 : flower; blossom |
| 141 | 虍 | hu1 | tiger | 6 | 虎 : tiger | |
| 142 | 虫 | chong2 | insect | 6 | 蚊 : mosquito | |
| 143 | 血 | xue3 | blood | 6 | 衄 : bleed at the nose | |
| 144 | 行 | xing2 | walk enclosure | 6 | 街 : street | |
| 145 | 衣 | 衤 | yi1 | clothes | 6 | 衫 : Chinese gown (unlined) |
| 146 | 襾 | 覀 | ya4 | west | 6 | 西 : the West |
| 147 | 見 ( 见 ) | jian4 | see | 7 | 視 ( 视 ) : to look at | |
| 148 | 角 | jue2 | horn | 7 | 觸 ( 触 ) : knock against; to feel | |
| 149 | 言 ( 讠) | yan2 | speech | 7 | 話 ( 话 ) : dialect; conversation | |
| 150 | 谷 | gu3 | valley | 7 | 豁 : clear; open | |
| 151 | 豆 | dou4 | bean | 7 | 豌 : peas | |
| 152 | 豖 | shi3 | pig | 7 | 象 : elephant | |
| 153 | 豸 | zhi4 | badger | 7 | 豹 : leopard; panther | |
| 154 | 貝 ( 贝 ) | bei4 | shell | 7 | 財 ( 财 ) : money; wealth | |
| 155 | 赤 | chi4 | red | 7 | 赦 : to pardon (a convict) | |
| 156 | 走 | zou3 | run | 7 | 越 : to climb over | |
| 157 | 足 | zu2 | foot | 7 | 跌 : to drop; to fall | |
| 158 | 身 | shen1 | body | 7 | 躺 : to recline; to lie down | |
| 159 | 車 ( 车 ) | che1 | cart | 7 | 軍 ( 军 ) : army; military | |
| 160 | 辛 | xin1 | bitter | 7 | 辣 : hot (spicy); pungent | |
| 161 | 辰 | chen2 | morning | 7 | 農 ( 农 ) : peasant; farmer | |
| 162 | 辵 | 辶 | chuo4 | walk | 7 | 近 : near; close (to) |
| 163 | 邑 | 阝(right) | yi4 | city | 7 | 郡 : canton; county |
| 164 | 酉 | you3 | wine | 7 | 酒 : wine; liquor; spirits | |
| 165 | 釆 | bian4 | distinguish | 7 | 釋 ( 释 ) : explain; to release | |
| 166 | 里 | li3 | village | 7 | 野 : field; open space | |
| 167 | 金 | jin1 | gold | 8 | 針 ( 针 ) : injection; needle | |
| 168 | 長 ( 长 ) | chang2 | long | 8 | 镺 : extend | |
| 169 | 門 ( 门 ) | men2 | gate | 8 | 閂 ( 闩 ) : to bolt | |
| 170 | 阜 | 阝(left) | fu4 | mound | 8 | 限 : limit; bound |
| 171 | 隶 | dai4 | slave | 8 | 隸 ( 隶 ) : attached to; scribe | |
| 172 | 隹 | zhui1 | short tailed bird | 8 | 雀 : bird | |
| 173 | 雨 | yu3 | rain | 8 | 雪 : snow | |
| 174 | 青 | qing1 | blue | 8 | 靚 ( 靓 ) : make up (face) | |
| 175 | 非 | fei1 | wrong | 8 | 靠 : depend upon; to support | |
| 176 | 面 | mian4 | face | 9 | 靦 : bashful | |
| 177 | 革 | ge2 | leather | 9 | 鞋 : shoe | |
| 178 | 韋 ( 韦 ) | wei2 | tanned leather | 9 | 韌 ( 韧 ) : pliable but strong | |
| 179 | 韭 | jiu3 | leek | 9 | 韱 : wild onions or leeks | |
| 180 | 音 | yin1 | sound | 9 | 韻 ( 韵 ) : rhyme | |
| 181 | 頁 ( 页 ) | ye4 | leaf | 9 | 頂 ( 顶 ) : peak; top | |
| 182 | 風 ( 风 ) | feng1 | wind | 9 | 颱 ( 台 ) : typhoon | |
| 183 | 飛 ( 飞 ) | fei1 | fly | 9 | 飛 ( 飞 ) : to fly | |
| 184 | 食 ( 饣) | 飠 | shi2 | eat | 9 | 餓 ( 饿 ) : to be hungry |
| 185 | 首 | shou3 | head | 9 | 馗 : crossroads | |
| 186 | 香 | xiang1 | fragrant | 9 | 馨 : fragrant | |
| 187 | 馬 ( 马 ) | ma3 | horse | 10 | 駕 ( 驾 ) : to drive | |
| 188 | 骨 | gu3 | bone | 10 | 髓 : marrow | |
| 189 | 高 | gao1 | tall | 10 | 敲 : knock; to strike | |
| 190 | 髟 | biao1 | hair | 10 | 髦 : bang (hair); fashionable | |
| 191 | 鬥 | dou4 | fight | 10 | 鬧 ( 闹 ) : make noise or disturbance | |
| 192 | 鬯 | chang4 | sacrificial wine | 10 | 鬱 ( 郁 ) : dense (growth); melancholy | |
| 193 | 鬲 | li4 | cauldron | 10 | 鬷 : kettle on legs | |
| 194 | 鬼 | gui3 | ghost | 10 | 魂 : soul | |
| 195 | 魚 ( 鱼 ) | yu2 | fish | 11 | 魷 ( 鱿 ) : cuttlefish | |
| 196 | 鳥 ( 鸟 ) | niao3 | bird | 11 | 鳳 ( 凤 ) : phoenix | |
| 197 | 鹵 | lu3 | salt | 11 | 鹽 ( 盐 ) : salt | |
| 198 | 鹿 | lu4 | deer | 11 | 麝 : musk deer | |
| 199 | 麥 ( 麦 ) | mai4 | wheat | 11 | 麵 ( 面 ) : flour; noodles | |
| 200 | 麻 | ma2 | hemp | 11 | 麼 ( 麽 ) : dimi | |
| 201 | 黃 | huang2 | yellow | 12 | 黈 : a yellow color | |
| 202 | 黍 | shu3 | millet | 12 | 黏 : sticky | |
| 203 | 黑 | hei1 | black | 12 | 默 : silent; write from memory | |
| 204 | 黹 | zhi3 | embroidery | 12 | 黼 : embroidery | |
| 205 | 黽 ( 黾 ) | min3 | frog | 13 | 黿 ( 鼋 ) : sea turtle | |
| 206 | 鼎 | ding3 | tripod | 13 | 鼏 : cover of tripod kettle | |
| 207 | 鼓 | gu3 | drum | 13 | 鼖 : large brass drum | |
| 208 | 鼠 ( 鼡 ) | shu3 | rat | 13 | 鼴 ( 鼹 ) : mole | |
| 209 | 鼻 | bi2 | nose | 14 | 鼾 : snore | |
| 210 | 齊 ( 齐 ) | qi3 | even | 14 | 齋 ( 斋 ) : a fast; studio | |
| 211 | 齒 ( 齿 ) | chi3 | tooth | 15 | 齔 ( 龀 ) : replace the milk teeth | |
| 212 | 龍 ( 龙 ) | long2 | dragon | 16 | 龘 : the appearance of a dragon walking | |
| 213 | 龜 ( 龟 ) | gui1 | turtle | 16 | 龜 ( 龟 ) : tortoise; turtle | |
| 214 | 龠 | yue4 | flute | 17 | 龢 : harmonious |