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Chinese radicals

All 214 radicals with pinyin, meaning and the shapes they take, and the 24 that head 1,784 of the 3,082 characters in the HSK words.

The 24 radicals you’ll meet most

Ranked by how many HSK characters each one heads. Tap a character to see it written.

1手扌shǒuhandIn 188 HSK characters手提打接把持
2水氵shuǐwaterIn 170 HSK characters没法水活流海
3口kǒumouthIn 148 HSK characters和可后同合品
4人亻rénmanIn 124 HSK characters人以你会他们
5木mùtreeIn 120 HSK characters来本机果样格
6心忄xīnheartIn 106 HSK characters心情想性意感
7艸艹cǎograssIn 89 HSK characters花节营英落获
8纟糸mìsilkIn 77 HSK characters经系给线结级
9讠言yánspeechIn 77 HSK characters说设让计话该
10肉月ròumeatIn 67 HSK characters能育股肉脸背
11辵辶chuòwalkIn 66 HSK characters这过还道进通
12火灬huǒfireIn 59 HSK characters点然热照火爆
13土tǔearthIn 57 HSK characters在地场基城型
14日rìsunIn 52 HSK characters是时日明易早
15女nǚwomanIn 51 HSK characters好如女她始委
16贝貝bèishellIn 45 HSK characters资费质赛责货
17宀miánroofIn 44 HSK characters家实定安完容
18钅金jīngoldIn 44 HSK characters金错钱销银铁
19刀刂dāoknifeIn 39 HSK characters到分前制利别
20目mùeyeIn 37 HSK characters看着相真目直
21阜阝fùmoundIn 34 HSK characters院队防除随际
22竹zhúbambooIn 32 HSK characters等第管算笑简
23石shístoneIn 29 HSK characters确研破石码硬
24禾hégrainIn 29 HSK characters种程科称积秀

All 214 radicals

No.	Radical	Pinyin	Name	In HSK characters
1 stroke
1	一	yī	one	26 一不上下
2	丨	gǔn	line	6 个中临丰
3	丶	zhǔ	dot	6 为主义举
4	丿	piě	slash	12 么之乐久
5	乙	yǐ	second	9 也书习买
6	亅	jué	hook	4 了事争予
2 strokes
7	二	èr	two	9 于些二五
8	亠	tóu	lid	10 产交京亲
9	人亻	rén	man	124 人以你会
10	儿	ér	legs	16 元先光儿
11	入	rù	enter	2 全入
12	八	bā	eight	15 公其关具
13	冂	jiōng	down box	5 最内再冒
14	冖	mì	cover	6 军写农冠
15	冫	bīng	ice	17 准决况减
16	几	jǐ	table	7 几凭凡凳
17	凵	qiǎn	open box	7 出击凹函
18	刀刂	dāo	knife	39 到分前制
19	力	lì	power	23 动力加务
20	勹	bāo	wrap	6 包勺匆匀
21	匕	bǐ	spoon	3 化北匙
22	匚	fāng	right open box	2 匠匪
23	匸	xì	hiding enclosure	4 区医匹匿
24	十	shí	ten	14 十单南华
25	卜	bǔ	divination	6 卡占卧卦
26	卩	jié	seal	8 即却印卫
27	厂	chǎng	cliff	14 原历压厂
28	厶	sī	private	3 去参县
29	又	yòu	again	14 发及受友
3 strokes
30	口	kǒu	mouth	148 和可后同
31	囗	wéi	enclosure	14 国因回图
32	土	tǔ	earth	57 在地场基
33	士	shì	scholar	5 声士壶壮
34	夂	zhǐ	go	2 处备
35	夊	suī	go slowly	2 复夏
36	夕	xī	evening	5 多外够夜
37	大	dà	big	25 大天太头
38	女	nǚ	woman	51 好如女她
39	子	zǐ	child	13 子学孩字
40	宀	mián	roof	44 家实定安
41	寸	cùn	inch	10 对将导射
42	小	xiǎo	small	7 小少尔尝
43	尢	wāng	lame	4 就尤尴尬
44	尸	shī	corpse	21 展局居属
45	屮	chè	sprout	none
46	山	shān	mountain	26 山岁岸崇
47	巛	chuān	river	3 州巢川
48	工	gōng	work	6 工差左巨
49	己	jǐ	oneself	4 己已巴巷
50	巾	jīn	turban	25 市常带师
51	干	gàn	dry	5 年平并干
52	幺	yāo	short thread	4 乡幽幼幻
53	广	guǎng	dotted cliff	22 度应店广
54	廴	yǐn	long stride	3 建延廷
55	廾	gǒng	two hands	6 开异弃弄
56	弋	yì	shoot	1 式
57	弓	gōng	bow	12 强引张弟
58	彐	jì	snout	3 当录归
59	彡	shān	bristle	5 影形彩彰
60	彳	chì	step	20 很得微往
4 strokes
61	心忄	xīn	heart	106 心情想性
62	戈	gē	halberd	11 我成或战
63	戶	hù	door	5 所房户扇
64	手扌	shǒu	hand	188 手提打接
65	支	zhī	branch	1 支
66	攴攵	pū	rap	21 数政放教
67	文	wén	script	2 文斑
68	斗	dòu	dipper	4 料斗斜斟
69	斤	jīn	axe	6 新断斤斥
70	方	fāng	square	7 方施旅族
71	无	wú	not	2 无既
72	日	rì	sun	52 是时日明
73	曰	yuē	say	5 更曾曲替
74	月	yuè	moon	9 有月期服
75	木	mù	tree	120 来本机果
76	欠	qiàn	lack	11 次欢款歌
77	止	zhǐ	stop	7 正此步止
78	歹	dǎi	death	7 死殊残殖
79	殳	shū	weapon	6 段毁殿殴
80	毋	wú	do not	3 每母毒
81	比	bǐ	compare	3 比毕毙
82	毛	máo	fur	3 毛毫毯
83	氏	shì	clan	3 民氏氓
84	气	qì	steam	3 气氧氛
85	水氵	shuǐ	water	170 没法水活
86	火灬	huǒ	fire	59 点然热照
87	爪爫	zhǎo	claw	3 爱爬爪
88	父	fù	father	4 父爸爷爹
89	爻	yáo	double x	1 爽
90	丬爿	pán	half tree trunk	none
91	片	piàn	slice	3 片版牌
92	牙	yá	fang	1 牙
93	牛	niú	cow	10 物特牛牢
94	犬犭	quǎn	dog	26 状独狗猫
5 strokes
95	玄	xuán	profound	2 率玄
96	玉王	yù	jade	20 现理球玩
97	瓜	guā	melon	2 瓜瓣
98	瓦	wǎ	tile	3 瓶瓷瓦
99	甘	gān	sweet	3 甚甜甘
100	生	shēng	life	2 生甥
101	用	yòng	use	2 用甩
102	田	tián	field	19 电由男界
103	疋	pǐ	bolt of cloth	2 疑疏
104	疒	nè	sickness	26 病疗疫痛
105	癶	bō	dotted tent	1 登
106	白	bái	white	6 的白百皇
107	皮	pí	skin	2 皮皱
108	皿	mǐn	dish	12 监益盘盟
109	目	mù	eye	37 看着相真
110	矛	máo	spear	1 矛
111	矢	shǐ	arrow	7 知短矮矩
112	石	shí	stone	29 确研破石
113	示礻	shì	spirit	17 视示神社
114	禸	róu	track	2 离禽
115	禾	hé	grain	29 种程科称
116	穴	xué	cave	18 空究突穿
117	立	lì	stand	8 站立端竞
6 strokes
118	竹	zhú	bamboo	32 等第管算
119	米	mǐ	rice	19 精类米粉
120	纟糸	mì	silk	77 经系给线
121	缶	fǒu	jar	3 缺罐缸
122	网罒	wǎng	net	9 网置罗罚
123	羊	yáng	sheep	5 美群羊羞
124	羽	yǔ	feather	9 翻羽翅翼
125	老	lǎo	old	3 者老考
126	而	ér	and	3 而耐耍
127	耒	lěi	plow	3 耗耕耘
128	耳	ěr	ear	13 联职聚聪
129	聿	yù	brush	3 肃肆肇
130	肉月	ròu	meat	67 能育股肉
131	臣	chén	minister	1 臣
132	自	zì	self	2 自臭
133	至	zhì	arrive	2 至致
134	臼	jiù	mortar	2 舅舆
135	舌	shé	tongue	4 舒舍舌舔
136	舛	chuǎn	oppose	1 舞
137	舟	zhōu	boat	10 般航船艘
138	艮	gěn	stopping	2 良艰
139	色	sè	color	2 色艳
140	艸艹	cǎo	grass	89 花节营英
141	虍	hū	tiger	6 虑虎虚虏
142	虫	chóng	insect	24 融虽蛋虫
143	血	xuè	blood	2 血衅
144	行	xíng	walk enclosure	5 行街衡衍
145	衣衤	yī	clothes	25 被表装衣
146	襾	yà	west	3 要西覆
7 strokes
147	见見	jiàn	see	6 觉见规观
148	角	jiǎo	horn	3 解角触
149	讠言	yán	speech	77 说设让计
150	谷	gǔ	valley	2 谷豁
151	豆	dòu	bean	1 豆
152	豕	shǐ	pig	4 象豫豪豚
153	豸	zhì	badger	2 貌豹
154	贝貝	bèi	shell	45 资费质赛
155	赤	chì	red	2 赤赫
156	走	zǒu	run	10 起走超越
157	足	zú	foot	28 路跟足跑
158	身	shēn	body	5 身躺躲躬
159	车車	chē	cart	22 车较转轻
160	辛	xīn	bitter	8 辣辛辞辩
161	辰	chén	morning	2 辱辰
162	辵辶	chuò	walk	66 这过还道
163	邑阝	yì	city	11 都那部邻
164	酉	yǒu	wine	18 酒配酸醒
165	釆	biàn	distinguish	2 采释
166	里	lǐ	village	4 里重量野
8 strokes
167	钅金	jīn	gold	44 金错钱销
168	长長	zhǎng	long	1 长
169	门門	mén	gate	19 间问门闻
170	阜阝	fù	mound	34 院队防除
171	隶	lì	slave	1 隶
172	隹	zhuī	short tailed bird	9 集难雄雌
173	雨	yǔ	rain	14 需露雨雷
174	靑	qīng	blue	2 青静
175	非	fēi	wrong	2 非靠
9 strokes
176	面	miàn	face	1 面
177	革	gé	leather	6 革鞋靶鞭
178	韦韋	wéi	tanned leather	1 韧
179	韭	jiǔ	leek	none
180	音	yīn	sound	4 音章竟韵
181	页頁	yè	leaf	25 题频项领
182	风風	fēng	wind	3 风飘飙
183	飞飛	fēi	fly	1 飞
184	饣食	shí	eat	20 食餐饭馆
185	首	shǒu	head	1 首
186	香	xiāng	fragrant	2 香馨
10 strokes
187	马馬	mǎ	horse	19 马验骑骄
188	骨	gǔ	bone	3 骨骼髓
189	高	gāo	tall	1 高
190	髟	biāo	hair	1 髦
191	鬥	dòu	fight	none
192	鬯	chàng	sacrificial wine	none
193	鬲	gé	cauldron	none
194	鬼	guǐ	ghost	6 魔魅鬼魁
11 strokes
195	鱼魚	yú	fish	7 鱼鲜鲨鲁
196	鸟鳥	niǎo	bird	10 鸡鸟鸭鹅
197	卤鹵	lǔ	salt	none
198	鹿	lù	deer	2 麟鹿
199	麦麥	mài	wheat	1 麦
200	麻	má	hemp	1 麻
12 strokes
201	黄黃	huáng	yellow	1 黄
202	黍	shǔ	millet	2 黎黏
203	黑	hēi	black	3 黑默墨
204	黹	zhǐ	embroidery	none
13 strokes
205	黾黽	miǎn	frog	none
206	鼎	dǐng	tripod	1 鼎
207	鼓	gǔ	drum	1 鼓
208	鼠	shǔ	rat	1 鼠
14 strokes
209	鼻	bí	nose	1 鼻
210	齐齊	qí	even	1 齐
15 strokes
211	齿齒	chǐ	tooth	2 龄齿
16 strokes
212	龙龍	lóng	dragon	1 龙
213	龟龜	guī	turtle	1 龟
17 strokes
214	龠	yuè	flute	none

What a radical is

Every Chinese character is filed in dictionaries under one part, its radical. 妈 is under 女 woman, 河 under 氵 water. The radical often hints at the meaning, and the other part often at the sound: 妈 mā sounds like 马 mǎ.

Side forms

Many radicals change shape when they sit at the side or the top of a character: 水 becomes 氵, 手 becomes 扌, 人 becomes 亻, 心 becomes 忄 and 草 grass becomes 艹. The tables show each form beside its radical.

Simplified forms

Simplified Chinese simplified some radicals too: 言 is 讠 in 说, 糸 is 纟 in 给 and 金 is 钅 in 钱. The tables lead with the simplified form and show the traditional one beside it.

Hints, not rules

A radical is where a dictionary files a character, not always what it means. 这 this is under 辶 walk, and 和 and under 口 mouth. The names here are Unicode’s for each radical.

How many Chinese radicals are there?

Dictionaries use the 214 Kangxi radicals, from the Kangxi Dictionary of 1716. Unicode files every character under one of them, and many mainland dictionaries use a similar list of about 200.

What is the most common Chinese radical?

Among the 3,082 characters of the HSK words, the hand radical 扌 (手) heads the most, 188, then water 氵 (170) and mouth 口 (148).

Do you need to learn the radicals?

Not as a list. Learn the two dozen that head most characters and they will help you guess what a new character is about and remember how to write it. These 24 cover 1,784 of the 3,082 HSK characters.

More free tools

Stroke order: every HSK character drawn stroke by stroke. The most common characters: the 1,000 that make up most of a page. Chinese words by HSK level: every HSK word, one page each. Read any Mandarin: point at a word for its meaning.

Radicals, readings and names from Unicode’s Unihan database; the HSK characters are those of the 2025 HSK word list.