Radicals 部首bù shǒu
In order to learn Chinese characters more effectively, one should know well the radicals, the basic components of the Chinese characters. A Chinese radical, a so-called 部首（bù shǒu）, literally a section header, is a graphical component of a Chinese character which is traditionally listed in a Chinese dictionary. The component is often a semantic indicator, indicating the meaning of the character. While in some cases, the radical may be a phonetic component or even an artificially extracted portion of the character.
By knowing the radicals well, one can recognize, remember, write or even reproduce the characters more easily and efficiently. The following is a selection of forty radicals one should know and practice well when starting to learn Chinese characters. (40 Radicals are compiled with the same order at Integrated Chinese Level 1 Part 1. The smaller pictures of Hanzi were edited from the textbook of New Practical Chinese Reader 1.; while the bigger pictures and the description were taken from The Way of Chinese Characters "汉字之道“)
By knowing the radicals well, one can recognize, remember, write or even reproduce the characters more easily and efficiently. The following is a selection of forty radicals one should know and practice well when starting to learn Chinese characters. (40 Radicals are compiled with the same order at Integrated Chinese Level 1 Part 1. The smaller pictures of Hanzi were edited from the textbook of New Practical Chinese Reader 1.; while the bigger pictures and the description were taken from The Way of Chinese Characters "汉字之道“)
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Click on each Radical in the following and view its stroke order.
Radical |
Hanzi |
Pinyin |
Translation |
Example |
Pronunciation |
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1.人 or 亻
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rén
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Person
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 人 presents the profile of a person with a head, an arched back, arms and legs, possibly indicating a figure from an early stage of human evolution. In Regular Script, 人 looks like someone with two rather long legs. As a radical, 人 often appears as 亻, and is often used in characters related to human beings and their activities, e.g., 你(nǐ, you), 他(tā, he; him), 住(zhù, to live), and 休(xiū, to rest). |
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Pictograph.
In ancient writing systems, the character 刀 resembles a knife with the upper part as the handle and the lower part as the edge. In Regular Script, the handle is shortened so that it becomes almost unnoticeable. Characters with the knife radical 刂usually have something to do with knives or cutting, such as 别 （bié，to separate), 刺 (cì,to stab), and 利 (lì, sharp). |
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3. 力
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lì
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power
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加、助
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Pictograph.
In both the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 力 resembles an ancient plow, with the upper part as the handle and the lower part as the plowshare. Since plowing requires great physical strength, 力 means "strength". In Regular script, 力 is similar in form to 刀 (dāo, knife) except that its top sticks out. |
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4. 又
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yòu
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right hand; again
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Pictograph.
In its ancient form, the character 又 was shaped like a right hand, meaning "right hand." Today 又 is used to mean "again", "also", "in addition," "both...and ...," etc. |
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5. 口
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kǒu
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mouth
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叫、可
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Pictograph.
The character 口 looks like an open mouth. Characters with the mouth radical are often associated with the movement of the mouth, e.g., 吃 (chī, to eat), 喝 (hē, to drink), 唱 (chàng, to sing), and 叫 (jiào, too shout). |
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6. 囗
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wéi
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enclose
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回、因
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Pictograph.
囗 represents the periphery or border of an area. Characters relating to boundaries often include the radical 囗, such as 国 (guó, country, state), 园 (yuán, garden, park), 图 (tú, map). Note that 囗 is larger than the radical 口 (kǒu, mouth), indicating a large area that can contain many objects. |
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7. 土
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tǔ
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earth
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在、坐
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the upper part of 土 represents a small hill or mound of soil, while the bottom line stands for the ground. In Regular Script, a cross replaces the mound. |
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8. 夕
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xī
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sunset
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外、多
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Pictograph.
In its ancient forms, the character 夕 resembles a half moon, meaning "sunset', "dusk", "evening", or "night". Sometimes the moon can be seen rising from the east at dusk. |
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9. 大
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dà
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big
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天、太
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Pictograph.
In the ancient writing systems, the character 大 portrays a figure standing with arms stretching out and legs spread out. This posture seems to suggest that humans are the greatest creatures on earth. The primary meanings of 大 are "big", "large", "great", "age", and "older". |
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10. 女
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nǚ
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woman
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婆、好 |
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the character 女 depicts a woman kneeling with her arms lowered and hands clasped on her lap, reflecting the lower social status of women in ancient times. In later forms, the kneeling component is transformed as women are recognized as having a status more equal to men. The Regular Script forms of 女 and 大 are similar, but 女 emphasizes the female bosom. |
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11. 子
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zǐ
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son
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字、孩
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Pictograph.
In its ancient form, the character 子 shows a baby swaddles in cloth, with its head sticking up and arms stretching out. In Regular Script, the head of the baby is represented by a horizontal hook instead of a round shape. 子 is used as suffix after some nouns, such as 儿子(ér zi). |
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12. 寸
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cùn
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inch
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寺、封
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Explicit Character.
In Seal Script., 寸 combines 又(yòu) with 一. 又 means "right hand" while 一 indicates the section of the forearm one each from the wrist, where a traditional Chinese doctor would feel a patients' pulse and diagnose ailments. |
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13. 小
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xiǎo
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small
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少、尖
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Associative Compound.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 小 consists of three dots, like three tiny grains of sand. In its later forms, 小 resembles a knife (represented by the vertical hook in the middle) cutting something into two smaller pieces. |
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14. 工
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gōng
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labor, work
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左、差
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Pictograph.
In the ancient writing systems, the character 工 looks like a carpenter's square or ruler. The original meanings of 工 was "tool", from which derived the meanings "work", "labor", "skill", "craftsmanship", and "construction project". |
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15. 幺
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yāo
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tiny, small
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幻、右
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16. 弓
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gōng
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bow
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引、弟
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the character 弓depicts a bow without its string, which is how a bow should be stored. Just like human beings, bows need time for relaxation! |
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Pictograph.
In its ancient forms, the character 心 represents a heart. There are two forms of the heart radical 心 and 忄, 心 is usually positioned at the bottom of a character as in 想 (xiǎng, to think) and 愁 (chóu, to worry), while 忄is on the left, as in 忙 (máng, busy) and 怕 (pà, fear). Characters with heart radicals are often associated with feelings or other mental activities. |
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18. 戈
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gē
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dagger-axe
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我、或
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Pictograph.
The dagger-axe 戈 is a weapon from the Shang (ca. 1600-C.1100 B.C.) and Zhou Dynasties (ca.1100-221 B.C.) In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 戈delineates such a weapon with a long shaft and a blade at the end. 戈is used as a component of many characters, such as 我(wǒ, I). |
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Pictograph.
The ancient form of the character 手 looks like an outspread hand, with five fingers comprising the upper part, and the forearm below. Characters with the hand radical 扌are often related to acts performed with the hands, e.g. 打 (dǎ, to beat), 推 (tuī, to push), and 擦 (cā, to wipe) |
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20. 日
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rì
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sun
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早、明
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, 日 represents the sun. Since the sun rises daily, 日 extended to mean "day". Regular Script is also called "Square Script" and usually there are no round components, so the character 日 in regular Script is drawn as a rectangle with a horizontal line through its middle, which indicates that the sun is not just a circle but a solid thing, and distinguishes 日 from the character 口。 |
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21. 月
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yuè
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moon
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期、朗
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 月 depicts a crescent moon, which maybe compared to a large eye, following and watching people quietly at night. The dot or lines in the character 月 represent the darker areas of the moon's surface. Given that the moon's orbit takes approximately thirty days, the extended meaning of 月 is "month". When used as a radical, 月 can mean "moon" or "flesh". For example, the characters 腿 (tuǐ, leg), 脸 (liǎn, face), 脑 (nǎo, brain), and 脚 (jiǎo, foot) all contain the flesh radical 月 (derived from 肉，ròu) |
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22. 木
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mù
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wood
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李、杯
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Pictograph.
In its ancient forms, the character 木 depicts a tree with branches on top and roots at the bottom. "Tree" is the original meaning of 木，while extended meanings today are "wood" or "lumber". |
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Pictograph.
In its ancient form, the character 水 looks like a flowing body of water. The line in the middle represents the main stream and the dots on the sides look like the spray or waves of the water. In Regular Script, the dots extend into lines, resembling the tributaries of a river. The original meaning of 水 was "river", but later it came to mean "water". |
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the character 火 represents flames. In Regular Script, 火 resembles flames on firewood. There are two forms of the fire radical: 火 and 灬， as in 烫 (tàng, scalding), 烧 (shāo, burn), and 热 (rè, hot). |
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25. 田
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tián
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field
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男、留
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Pictograph.
The character 田 depicts plots of land, divided by vertical and horizontal lines, as if seen fro above. Today it is also a common surname. |
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26. 目
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mù
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eye
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看、睡
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 目 represents an eye. In Seal Script, this eye becomes vertical and the curves in the character are straightened. 目 is foten used as a radical in characters related to eyes, e.g., 看 (kàn, see), 瞎 (xiā, blind), and 睡 (shuì, sleep). The extended meanings of 目 are "item", "catalogue", "goal", "title"...etc. |
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the character 示 looks like a T-shaped stone table upon which sacrificial offerings to gods or ancestors were placed. In Seal Script, more lines are added beneath, as it to make the altar more stable. In combinations, 示 usually means "to show" but its radical form 礻often appears in characters related to religious ritual, such as 礼 (lǐ, rite), and 祝 (zhù, pray). |
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28. 糸
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mì
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fine silk
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素、红
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, 糸 depicts a silk string. Characters with the silk radical 糸 often relate to the process of making cloth, including dyeing, such as 织 (zhī, weave), 线 (xiàn, thread), 红 (hóng, red), and 绿 (lǜ, green). In Regular Script, the character 糸 combines 幺(yāo, tiny) and 小 (xiǎo, small). |
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29. 耳
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ěr
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ear
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聋、聊
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 耳 delineates the contour of an ear. In Regular Script, 耳 still somewhat resembles the shape of an ear, with the two lines in the middle representing the helix, earlobe, and internal structure. |
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Pictograph.
In its ancient forms, the character 衣 outlines a garment with a collar and sleeves in the upper part, and the hemline in the lower part. In Regular Script, 衣resembles a garment on a clothes hanger. There are two forms of the clothing radical, 衣 and 衤. 衣 is usually positioned at the bottom of a character as in 袋 (dài, bag; sack) and 表 (biǎo, surface; outside), while 衤 is on the left, as in 衬衫 (chènshān, shirt) and 裤 (kù, pants). |
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Associative Compound.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 言 looks like a tongue (the upper part) sticking out from a mouth (the bottom part), referring to the act of speaking with excitement and energy. In Regular Script, the mouth 口 comprises the lower part of 言， but the upper part resembles a sound wave more than a tongue. |
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32. 贝
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bèi
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sea shell
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贵、财
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 贝 resembles a cowry shell. Since cowry shells were used as a currency in ancient times, characters with 贝 as a component often relate to money, trade, or wealth, e.g., 买 (mǎi, buy), 卖 (mài, sell), 贵 (guì, expensive), and 财(cái, fortune). The simplified character 贝 derives from the cursive style of the traditional character 貝. |
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33. 走
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zǒu
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walk
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趣、起
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Associative Compound.
In the Bronze Inscriptions, the upper part of 走 looks like a person walking rapidly with arms swinging, while the lower part depicts a human foot. In Regular Script, the lower part resembles a person striding forward with one arm swinging high, and the upper part becomes 土 (tǔ, earth), the surface upon which we walk. |
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34. 足
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zú
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foot
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跳、跑
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the upper part of 足 represents the calf of a leg, while the lower part presents an image of a foot, which is the same as the lower part of 走. In Regular Script, the calf part is replaced by 口。 Characters with the foot radical⻊are often associated with acts that involves using one's feet, such as 跟 (gēn, follow), 踢 (tī, kick), and 跳 (tiào, jump). The extended meanings of 足 are "enough", "ample", etc. |
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Pictograph and Associative Compound.
In the Bronze Inscriptions, the character 金 consists of three parts: 人 (rén, arrowhead)， 王 (wáng, axe), and two dots (representing bronze ingots), suggesting that both arrowheads and axes are made of bronze. The primary meaning of 金 is "metal", with the extended meanings "gold" and "money". |
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Pictograph.
The character 门 depicts a door with two panels. Characters with the 门 radical include 開/开(kāi), 關/关 (guān, close), 问 (wèn, ask)...etc. The simplified character 门 derives from the cursive style of 门. |
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37. 隹
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zhuī
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short-tailed bird
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难、集
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone and Bronze Inscriptions, the character 隹 depicts a short-tailed bird. In Regular Script, the bird's head shrinks and the claws disappear, but its body and feathers are still apparent. 隹 is often used in characters pertaining to birds, or as a phonetic symbol, e.g., 雁(yàn, wild goose). |
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38. 雨
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yǔ
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rain
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零、雲
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Pictograph.
The character 雨 could indicate heavy rain, as one can see four large rain drops. Characters with the rain radical often relate to natural phenomena or weather, e.g., 雪 (xuě, snow), 雷 (léi, thunder), 雾(wù, fog), and 云(yún, cloud). |
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Associative Compound.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the lower part of 食 resembles a high-legged container full of food, while the upper part represents an open mouth referring to the act of eating. In Regular Script the lower part of 食 looks like legs in movement, which could suggest that one derives energy from eating. The food radical 食 always appears on the left side of a character, e.g.,饭 (fàn, food, cooked rice), 饿 (è, hungry), and 饼 (bǐng, pancake). |
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Pictograph.
In the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions, the character 马 delineates a horse. In its later forms, the character becomes more simple and abstract. Yet the shape of a horse, complete with body, mane, and legs, can still be seen in the Regular Script form. The simplified character 马 derives from the cursive style of the traditional character 馬. |
Basic Radical Presentation in Video Format Practice
40 Basic Radicals Table
Radical |
Pinyin 1. rén
2. dāo 3. lì 4. yòu 5. kǒu 6. wéi 7. tǔ 8. xī 9. dà 10. nǚ 11. zǐ 12. cùn 13. xiǎo 14. gōng 15. yāo 16. gōng 17. xīn 18. gē 19. shǒu 20. rì 21. yuè 22. mù 23. shuǐ 24. huǒ 25. tián 26. mù 27. shì 28. mì 29. ěr 30. yī 31. yán 32. bèi 33. zǒu 34. zú 35. jīn 36. mén 37. zhuī 38. yǔ 39. shí 40. mǎ |
English1. Person
2. knife 3. power 4. right hand; again 5. mouth 6. enclose 7. earth 8. sunset 9. big 10. woman 11. son 12. inch 13. small 14. labor; work 15. tiny; small 16. bow 17. heart 18. dagger-axe 19. hand 20. sun 21. moon 22. wood 23. water 24. fire 25. field 26. eye 27. show 28. fine silk 29. ear 30. clothing 31. speech 32. cowrie shell 33. walk 34. foot 35. gold 36. door 37. short-tailed bird 38. rain 39. eat 40. horse |
Examples 1. 今、他
2. 分、到 3. 加、助 4. 友、取 5. 叫、可 6. 回、因 7. 在、坐 8. 外、多 9. 天、太 10. 婆、好 11. 字、孩 12. 寺、封 13. 少、尖 14. 左、差 15. 幻、右 16. 引、弟 17. 想、忙 18. 我、或 19. 拿、打 20. 早、明 21. 期、朗 22. 李、杯 23. 汞、洗 24. 烧、热 25. 男、留 26. 看、睡 27. 票、社 28. 素、红 29. 聋、聊 30. 袋、衫 31. 誓、说 32. 贵、财 33. 趣、起 34. 跳、跑 35. 鉴、钱 36. 间、闷 37. 难、集 38. 零、雲 39. 餐、饭 40. 骑、骂 |
40 Basic Radicals Practice Sheet
| introductory--40_basic_radicals.docx |