1.7: Radicals, the Building Blocks of Characters
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Chinese characters are sometimes intimidating to new learners of the language, due to their visual complexity. But many characters are visual representations of what they represent, like for example 山 ("hill, mountain") or 三 ("three"). These characters do not represent sounds. Instead, they are pictographic, meaning that they are drawings of things, or ideographic meaning they represent ideas. The diagram below is a visual summary of how some characters shifted from abstract drawings to their current written forms.
Each of the example above is a character that contains a single image, representing a single thing. However, these single visual representations, sometimes called radicals, can also be combined to create more complex characters. Below is a relatively comprehensive list of Chinese radicals. Don't worry, you do not need to learn all of these! The list is provided only for your reference.
| Pinyin | Radical | Variants |
Core Meaning |
Secondary Meanings | Strokes | Name of Radical in Chinese |
| yī | 一 | One | Individual, Horizontal | 1 | 一横 | |
| gǔn | 丨 | Downstroke | One, Vertical | 1 | 一竖 | |
| piě | 丿 | Slash | Left-falling stroke | 1 | 一撇 | |
| zhǔ | 丶 | Dot | Point, Drop | 1 | 一点 | |
| yǐ | 乙 | 乚 乛 | Bent | Second | 1 | |
| èr | 二 | Two | Two horizontal, Pair | 2 | 两橫 | |
| shí | 十 | Ten | Complete | 2 | 十字 | |
| hǎn | 厂 | Cliff | Factory | 2 | 厂字旁 | |
| fāng/xǐ | 匚 | Basket | Box | 2 | 匠字框 | |
| dāo | 刂 | 刀 ⺈ | Knife | Sword, Katana | 2 | 利刀旁 |
| bǔ | 卜 | Divination | 2 | 卜字旁 | ||
| jiōng | 冂 | Borders | Upside-down box, Cave | 2 | 同字框 | |
| rén | 亻 | 人 | Person | Man, Human | 2 | 单人旁 |
| bā | 八 | 丷 | Eight | Divide, Split | 2 | 八字旁 |
| ér | 儿 | Legs | Person, Going | 2 | 儿座底 | |
| jī | 几 | Table | 2 | 几字旁 | ||
| bǐ | 匕 | Spoon | Upside-down person | 2 | 匕字旁 | |
| bāo | 勹 | Wrap | Embrace | 2 | 包字头 | |
| tóu | 亠 | Lid | Cover, Latch | 2 | 点横头 | |
| bīng | 冫 | Ice | Freeze | 2 | 两点水 | |
| mì | 冖 | Cover | Treasure chest | 2 | 秃宝盖 | |
| yán | 讠 | 言 | Speech | Words | 2 | 言字旁 |
| kǎn | 凵 | Container | Receptacle, Open-mouth | 2 | 山字底 | |
| jié | 卩 | 㔾 | Seal | Kneel, Stamp | 2 | 单耳朵 |
| fù | 阝 | Mound | Dam, Terrain | 2 | 左耳朵 | |
| yì | 阝 | Town | City | 2 | 右耳朵 | |
| lì | 力 | Power | Strength, Force | 2 | 力字旁 | |
| yòu | 又 | Right-hand | Again, Hand movement | 2 | 又字旁 | |
| sī | ㄙ | Privacy | 2 | 私字 | ||
| yǐn | 廴 | Stride | Build, Move on | 2 | 建之旁 | |
| gān | 干 | Shield | Dry, Pestle | 3 | 干字旁 | |
| tǔ | 土 | Earth | Dirt, Soil, Land | 3 | 土堆 | |
| shì | 士 | Scholar | Official, Bachelor | 3 | 士字旁 | |
| gōng | 工 | Work | Labour, Effort | 3 | 工字旁 | |
| shǒu | 扌 | 手 龵 | Hand | Hold, Grip | 3 | 提手旁 |
| cǎo | 艹 | Grass | Herbs | 3 | 草字头 | |
| cùn | 寸 | Thumb | Inch | 3 | 寸字旁 | |
| gǒng | 廾 | Two-hands | Folded hands, Twenty | 3 | 弄字底 | |
| dà | 大 | Big | Large, Great, Man-standing | 3 | 大字头 | |
| wāng | 尢 | Lame | 3 | 尤字旁 | ||
| yì | 弋 | Shoot | Shoot a bow, Arrow | 3 | 弋字旁 | |
| xiǎo | 小 | ⺌ ⺍ | Small | Insignificant | 3 | 小字旁 |
| kǒu | 口 | Mouth | Opening | 3 | 口字旁 | |
| wéi | 囗 | Enclosure | Surround, Limit, Scope | 3 | 国字框 | |
| shān | 山 | Mountain | Hill | 3 | 山字旁 | |
| jīn | 巾 | Scarf | Turban, Towel | 3 | 大巾旁 | |
| chuān | 川 | 巛 | River | Stream, Flow | 3 | 三拐川 |
| chì | 彳 | Step | 3 | 双人旁 | ||
| shān | 彡 | Bristle | Feathers, Decoration | 3 | 三撇 | |
| quǎn | 犭 | 犬 | Dog | Beast | 3 | 反犬旁 |
| zhǐ | 夂 | Go | 3 | |||
| xī | 夕 | Evening | Sunset, Dusk | 3 | 夕字旁 | |
| shí | 饣 | 食 | Food | Meal, Eat | 3 | 食字旁 |
| qiáng | 丬 | Splinter | Piece of wood | 3 | 将字旁 | |
| yǎn | 广 | Shelter | House on a cliff, Vast | 3 | 广字旁 | |
| mén | 门 | Gate | Door | 3 | 门字框 | |
| shuǐ | 氵 | 水 氺 | Water | Flow | 3 | 三点水 |
| xīn | 忄 | 心 ⺗ | Heart | Mental, Soul | 3 | 竖心旁 |
| mián | 宀 | Roof | House, Room | 3 | 宝盖 | |
| chuò | 辶 | Walk | Move foward, Path | 3 | 走之旁 | |
| jì | 彐 | Snout | Sweep | 3 | 橫山 | |
| shī | 尸 | Corpse | Body | 3 | 尸字头 | |
| jǐ | 己 | 已 巳 | Self | Oneself | 3 | 己字旁 |
| gōng | 弓 | Bow | Stretch | 3 | 弓字旁 | |
| zǐ | 子 | 孑 | Child | Seed, Son | 3 | 子字旁 |
| chè | 屮 | Sprout | 3 | 右边草 | ||
| nǚ | 女 | Woman | Female, Girl | 3 | 女字旁 | |
| sī | 纟 | 糸 | Silk | Weave, Connect | 3 | 绞丝旁 |
| mǎ | 马 | Horse | Ride | 3 | 马字旁 | |
| yāo | 幺 | Little | Thread, Little | 3 | 幺字旁 | |
| wáng | 王 | King | Jade, Lord, Precious | 4 | 王字旁 | |
| wéi | 韦 | Leather | Tanned leather | 4 | 韦字旁 | |
| lǎo | 耂 | 老 | Old | Wise | 4 | 老字头 |
| mù | 木 | Tree | Wood | 4 | 木字旁 | |
| dǎi | 歹 | Death | Bad, Decay | 4 | 歹字旁 | |
| chē | 车 | Car | Vehicle | 4 | 车字旁 | |
| yá | 牙 | Fang | Tooth | 4 | 牙字旁 | |
| gē | 戈 | Halberd | Weapon, Trade, Arms | 4 | 戈字旁 | |
| bǐ | 比 | Compare | Compete | 4 | 比字旁 | |
| wǎ | 瓦 | Tile | 4 | 瓦字旁 | ||
| zhǐ | 止 | Stop | Foot | 4 | 止字旁 | |
| pū | 攵 | Tap | Hand holding a stick | 4 | 反文旁 | |
| pū | 攴 | Tap | Knock | 4 | 旧反文旁 | |
| rì | 日 | Sun | Day | 4 | 日字旁 | |
| yuē | 曰 | Say | Mouth | 4 | 曰字旁 | |
| bèi | 贝 | Shell | Coin, Valuable, Currency | 4 | 贝字旁 | |
| jiàn | 见 | See | Perceive | 4 | 见字旁 | |
| niú | 牜 | 牛 ⺧ | Cow | Ox, Cattle | 4 | 牛字旁 |
| máo | 毛 | Fur | Hair, Plume | 4 | 毛字旁 | |
| qì | 气 | Steam | Gas, Air | 4 | 气字头 | |
| piàn | 片 | Slice | Strip, Wood chips | 4 | 片字旁 | |
| jīn | 斤 | Axe | Catty, Pound, Weight, Chop | 4 | 斤字旁 | |
| zhǎo | 爫 | 爪 | Claw | Talon, Nail | 4 | 爪字头 |
| hù | 户 | 戶 | Door | Household | 4 | 戶字旁 |
| fù | 父 | Father | Senior | 4 | 父字头 | |
| yuè | 月 | ⺼ | Flesh | Moon | 4 | 月字旁 |
| qiàn | 欠 | Yawn | Owe, Lack, Blow, Exhale | 4 | 欠字旁 | |
| fēng | 风 | Wind | 4 | 风字旁 | ||
| shū | 殳 | Lance | Pole-axe, Destroy | 4 | 殳字旁 | |
| wén | 文 | Literature | Language, Written, Script | 4 | 文字头 | |
| fāng | 方 | Square | Raft, Area | 4 | 方字旁 | |
| huǒ | 灬 | 火 | Fire | Cook, Burn | 4 | 四点火 |
| dǒu | 斗 | Dipper | Spoon, Peck | 4 | 斗字旁 | |
| shì | 礻 | 示 | Sign | Altar, Ceremony | 4 | 半禮旁 |
| yù | 肀 | ⺻ 聿 | Brush | Writing brush, Pen | 4 | 毛筆 |
| wú | 毋 | Do not | 4 | 毋字旁 | ||
| shí | 石 | Stone | Rock | 5 | 石字旁 | |
| lóng | 龙 | Dragon | 5 | 龙字旁 | ||
| yè | 业 | Business | 5 | |||
| mù | 目 | Eye | 5 | 目字旁 | ||
| tián | 田 | Field | Paddy, Farm, Work | 5 | 田字旁 | |
| mǐn | 皿 | Dish | Pan | 5 | 皿堆 | |
| wǎng | 罒 | Net | Eye | 5 | 四字头 | |
| jīn | 钅 | 金 | Gold | Money, Metal | 5 | 金字旁 |
| shēng | 生 | Life | Give birth | 5 | 生字旁 | |
| shǐ | 矢 | Arrow | 5 | 矢字旁 | ||
| hé | 禾 | Grain | Stalk, Growing crops | 5 | 禾木旁 | |
| bái | 白 | White | 5 | 白字旁 | ||
| guā | 瓜 | Melon | 5 | 瓜字旁 | ||
| yòng | 用 | Use | 5 | 用字底 | ||
| niǎo | 鸟 | Bird | 5 | 鸟字旁 | ||
| nè | 疒 | Sickness | Disease | 5 | 病字旁 | |
| lì | 立 | Stand | Erect | 5 | 立字旁 | |
| xué | 穴 | Cavern | Hole | 5 | 穴宝盖 | |
| yī | 衤 | 衣 | Clothes | Costume | 5 | 衣字旁 |
| pǐ | ⺪ | 疋 | Cloth | Bolt of cloth | 5 | 疏字旁 |
| pí | 皮 | Skin | 5 | 皮字旁 | ||
| máo | 矛 | Spear | Lance, Pike | 5 | 矛字旁 | |
| mǔ | 母 | Mother | Female | 5 | 母字旁 | |
| lěi | 耒 | Plough | 6 | 耒字旁 | ||
| ěr | 耳 | Ear | 6 | 耳字旁 | ||
| chén | 臣 | Minister | Official | 6 | 臣字旁 | |
| yà | 覀 | Cover | 6 | 西字头 | ||
| xī | 西 | West | 6 | 西字 | ||
| yè | 页 | Page | Leaf | 6 | 页字旁 | |
| hū | 虍 | Tiger | Stripes | 6 | 虎字头 | |
| chóng | 虫 | Insect | Bug, Worm, Reptile | 6 | 虫字旁 | |
| fǒu | 缶 | Jar | Jug, Crock | 6 | 缶字旁 | |
| shé | 舌 | Tongue | 6 | 舌字旁 | ||
| zhú | ⺮ | 竹 | Bamboo | Basket | 6 | 竹字头 |
| jiù | 臼 | Mortar | Old | 6 | 臼字旁 | |
| zì | 自 | Self | Nose | 6 | 自字旁 | |
| xuè | 血 | Blood | 6 | 血字旁 | ||
| zhōu | 舟 | Boat | Ship, Ferry, Vessel | 6 | 舟字旁 | |
| yáng | 羊 | ⺶ | Sheep | Goat | 6 | 羊字旁 |
| mǐ | 米 | Rice | Uncooked rice | 6 | 米字旁 | |
| gèn | 艮 | Limit | Still, Perverse | 6 | 艮字旁 | |
| yŭ | 羽 | Feather | Wings | 6 | 羽字旁 | |
| mài | 麦 | Wheat | Barley | 7 | 麦字旁 | |
| zǒu | 走 | Walk | Run | 7 | 走字旁 | |
| chì | 赤 | Red | Bare, Naked | 7 | 赤字旁 | |
| dòu | 豆 | Bean | 7 | 豆字旁 | ||
| yǒu | 酉 | Wine | Alcohol | 7 | 酉字旁 | |
| chén | 辰 | Morning | 7 | 辰字旁 | ||
| shǐ | 豕 | Swine | Pig | 7 | 豕字旁 | |
| lŭ | 卤 | Salt | 7 | 卤字旁 | ||
| lǐ | 里 | Village | Area, Distance | 7 | 里字旁 | |
| zú | | 足 | Foot | Ankle, Sufficient | 7 | 足字旁 |
| shēn | 身 | Body | Oneself | 7 | 身字旁 | |
| biàn | 釆 | Divide | Distinguish, Discern | 7 | 釆字旁 | |
| gŭ | 谷 | Valley | Ravine | 7 | 谷字旁 | |
| zhì | 豸 | Cat | Badger, Beast | 7 | 豸字旁 | |
| jiǎo | 角 | Horn | Angle, Corner | 7 | 角字旁 | |
| xīn | 辛 | Bitter | Suffering | 7 | 辛字旁 | |
| qīng | 青 | Blue/green | Black | 8 | 青字旁 | |
| qí | 其 | Clear | 8 | |||
| yǔ | 雨 | Rain | Precipitation, Weather | 8 | 雨字头 | |
| chǐ | 齿 | Tooth | Molar, Age | 8 | 齿字旁 | |
| zhuī | 隹 | Small bird | Short-tailed bird | 8 | 隹字旁 | |
| yú | 鱼 | Fish | 8 | 鱼字旁 | ||
| gé | 革 | Rawhide | Leather | 9 | 革字旁 | |
| gǔ | 骨 | Bone | 9 | 骨字旁 | ||
| guǐ | 鬼 | Ghost | Spirit, Ghoul, Devil | 9 | 鬼字旁 | |
| yīn | 音 | Sound | 9 | 音字旁 | ||
| biāo | 髟 | Hair | Long hair, Head hair | 10 | 髟字旁 | |
| dòu | 鬥 | Fight | Struggle, Battle | 10 | 鬥字框 | |
| má | 麻 | Hemp | Flax | 10 | 麻字旁 | |
| lù | 鹿 | Deer | 10 | 鹿字旁 | ||
| hēi | 黑 | Black | Dark | 10 | 黑字旁 | |
| shŭ | 鼠 | Rat | Mouse, Rodent | 10 | 鼠字旁 | |
| bí | 鼻 | Nose | 10 | 鼻字旁 |
Radicals may appear in any position in a character. For example, the radical 女 appears on the left side in the characters 姐, 媽, 她, 好 and 姓, but it appears at the bottom in 妾. Sometimes, the radical may be placed outside, as in 園 = 囗 "enclosure" + 袁, or 街 = 行 "go, movement" + 圭. More complicated combinations also exist, such as 勝 = 力 "strength" + 朕, where the radical is in the lower-right quadrant.
Alternate Forms for Frequent Radicals
Many character components (including those used as radicals) are distorted or changed in form in order to fit into a block with other components. They may be narrowed, shortened, or may have different shapes entirely. Changes in shape, rather than simple distortion, may result in a reduction in the number of strokes used to write a component. In some cases, these combining forms may have several variants. The actual shape of the component when it is used in a character can depend on its placement with respect to the other elements in the character.
Some of the most important variant forms of radicals are:
- 人 "man" → 亻 on the left:
- 囚, 仄, 坐 ~ 他
- counter-example: 从
- 心 "heart" → 忄 on the left:
- 杺, 您, 恭* ~ 快
(*) 心 occasionally becomes ⺗ when written at the bottom of a character.
- 杺, 您, 恭* ~ 快
- 手 "hand" → 扌 on the left:
- 杽, 拏, 掱 ~ 扡
- counter-examples: 掰, 拜
- 水 "water" → 氵 on the left:
- 汆, 呇, 沊 ~ 池
- counter-example: 沝
- 火 "fire" → 灬 at the bottom:
- 伙, 秋, 灱 ~ 黑
- counter-example: 災
- 刀 "knife" → 刂 when placed to the right of other elements:
- examples: 分, 召 ~ 刖
- counter-example: 切
Associative Compound Characters
Many characters in Chinese are created by combining two or more radicals. Thus, learning the radicals of Chinese can be of immense help toward decoding the meanings of more complex characters. These combinations are called associative compounds (會意 huì yì "joined meaning") because they are combinations of pictographic or ideographic characters that suggest the meaning of the word to be represented. Some examples of associative compounds are as follows:
- 林 'grove' composed of two trees (木 + 木)
- 森 'forest' composed of three trees (木 + 木 + 木)
- 休 'shade, rest' depicting a man (人) by a tree (木)
- 采 'harvest' depicting a hand (爫 literally 'claw') on a bush (木)
- 看 'watch' depicting a hand (手) above an eye (目)
- 武 'military' depicting a dagger-axe (戈) and a foot (止)
- 信 'truthful' depicting a person (人, reduced to 亻) and speech (言)
Pictophonetic Compound Characters
Another type of complex character that can be decoded through radicals is called a pictophonetic (形聲 xíng shēng "form and sound") character. More than 90% of all Chinese characters are pictophonetic compounds. They are combinations of two components:
- a semantic radical that supplies an element of meaning, and
- a phonetic character that suggests the correct pronunciation.
As an example, a verb meaning "to wash one's hair" is pronounced mù. This happens to sound the same as the word mù "tree" 木. The verb mù could simply have been written 木, like "tree", but to disambiguate, it was combined with the character for "water", giving some idea of the meaning. The resulting character eventually came to be written 沐; mù; 'to wash one's hair'. Similarly, the water determinative instead be combined with 林; lín; 'woods' to produce the water-related homophone 淋; lín; 'to pour'. The table below shows these two examples, as well as several other pictophonetic compound characters.
| Semantic Radical | Phonetic Character | Pictophonetic Compound |
|---|---|---|
| 氵 'water' | 木 mù | 沐 mù 'to wash oneself' |
| 氵 'water' | 林 lín | 淋 lín 'to pour' |
| 艹 'plant' | 采 cǎi 'harvest' | 菜 cài 'vegetable' |
| 扌 'hand' | 白 bái | 拍 pāi 'to clap, to hit' |
| 穴 'to dig into' | 九 jiǔ | 究 jiū 'to investigate' |
| 日 'sun' | 央 yāng | 映 yìng 'reflection' |
As you can see in this list of examples, the sound of the phonetic character is often similar but not exactly the same as that of the resulting pictophonetic compound. You can think of the semantic radical and phonetic character as hints to assist in learning compound forms.
Review Chinese Radicals with Shao Lan
A Taiwanese graphic designer named Shao Lan has developed a systematic visual guide to Chinese characters on the basis of understanding the meanings of individual radicals. Check out this video, introducing her system, called Chineasy!