214 Kangxi Radicals

The 214 Kangxi radicals (康熙部首, Kāngxī bùshǒu) are the indexing system for Chinese characters, established in the 1716 Kangxi Dictionary. Every character is classified under one radical.

Why Learn Radicals

1. Dictionary lookup — Traditional method for looking up characters without knowing their pronunciation
2. Pattern recognition — Group ~50,000 characters into 214 families
3. Meaning hints — Semantic radicals indicate the meaning category of a character
4. Memory scaffold — Learn 214 units instead of memorizing 3,000+ characters in isolation

The Most Important 50 Radicals

These appear in the vast majority of common vocabulary:

#	Simplified	Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	When Used as Component	Example Characters
9	人/亻	人/亻	rén	person	亻 (left side)	他tā, 你nǐ, 做zuò, 休xiū
30	口	口	kǒu	mouth	口 (various)	吃chī, 喝hē, 叫jiào, 说shuō
38	女	女	nǚ	woman	女 (left side)	她tā, 妈mā, 姐jiě, 好hǎo
64	手/扌	手/扌	shǒu	hand	扌 (left side)	打dǎ, 拿ná, 找zhǎo, 把bǎ
61	心/忄	心/忄	xīn	heart/mind	忄 (left side)	想xiǎng, 忘wàng, 快kuài, 慢màn
85	水/氵	水/氵	shuǐ	water	氵 (left side)	海hǎi, 河hé, 游yóu, 洗xǐ
75	木	木	mù	tree/wood	木 (left/various)	树shù, 桌zhuō, 椅yǐ, 书shū
72	日	日	rì	sun/day	日 (various)	明míng, 晴qíng, 时shí, 星xīng
109	目	目	mù	eye	目 (various)	看kàn, 睡shuì, 眼yǎn, 睛jīng
149	言/讠	言/訁	yán	speech	讠 (left side, simplified)	说shuō, 话huà, 请qǐng, 谢xiè
157	足/⻊	足/⻊	zú	foot	⻊ (left side)	跑pǎo, 路lù, 跳tiào
169	门	門	mén	door/gate	门 (various)	间jiān, 闻wén, 问wèn
32	土	土	tǔ	earth	土 (left side)	地dì, 坐zuò, 场chǎng, 城chéng
86	火/灬	火/灬	huǒ	fire	灬 (bottom)	热rè, 烧shāo, 点diǎn, 然rán
167	金/钅	金/釒	jīn	metal/gold	钅 (left side, simplified)	钱qián, 银yín, 钟zhōng, 铁tiě
184	食/饣	食/飠	shí	food/eat	饣 (left side, simplified)	饭fàn, 饮yǐn, 饿è, 餐cān
94	犬/犭	犬/犭	quǎn	dog	犭 (left side)	猫māo, 狗gǒu, 猪zhū, 狐hú
187	马	馬	mǎ	horse	马 (various)	骑qí, 驾jià, 骗piàn
108	皿	皿	mǐn	vessel/dish	皿 (bottom)	盆pén, 盘pán, 盐yán, 盛shèng
118	竹/⺮	竹/⺮	zhú	bamboo	⺮ (top)	笔bǐ, 篮lán, 箱xiāng, 管guǎn
120	糸/纟	糸/糸	mì	silk/thread	纟 (left side, simplified)	红hóng, 绿lǜ, 线xiàn, 绳shéng
140	草/艹	草/艸	cǎo	grass/plant	艹 (top)	花huā, 草cǎo, 茶chá, 药yào
163	邑/阝	邑/阝	yì	city/town	阝 (right side)	那nà, 都dōu, 部bù, 郎láng
170	阜/阝	阜/阝	fù	mound/hill	阝 (left side)	院yuàn, 阶jiē, 防fáng, 阳yáng
46	山	山	shān	mountain	山 (various)	岛dǎo, 峰fēng, 崖yá
18	刀/刂	刀/刂	dāo	knife	刂 (right side)	别bié, 利lì, 到dào, 刻kè
1	一	一	yī	one	一 (top)	万wàn, 三sān, 下xià, 上shàng
4	丿	丿	piě	slash	—	乃nǎi, 久jiǔ, 乘chéng
40	宀	宀	mián	roof	宀 (top)	家jiā, 安ān, 宫gōng, 室shì
53	广	广	guǎng	shelter	广 (top-left)	度dù, 店diàn, 庙miào, 废fèi

All 214 Radicals — By Stroke Count

1 stroke (1-2)

#	Radical	Meaning	Example
1	一	one	万, 三
2	丨	line	中zhōng

2 strokes (3-32)

Key ones: 人(9)、刀(18)、力(19)、口(30)、土(32)

3 strokes (33-55)

Key ones: 女(38)、子(39)、宀(40)、山(46)、工(48)

4 strokes (56-79)

Key ones: 心(61)、手(64)、木(75)、水(85→氵)、火(86→灬)

5 strokes (80-101)

Key ones: 目(109)、田(102)、白(106)

6 strokes (102-119)

Key ones: 竹(118)、糸(120)、言(149→讠)

7+ strokes (120-214)

Key ones: 足(157)、金(167→钅)、门(169)、阜(170→阝)、马(187→马)、食(184→饣)

How to Use Radicals

For dictionary lookup: If you don't know the pronunciation of a character, count its strokes, identify its radical, then look up the remaining strokes.

For learning: When you encounter a new character, ask:

1. What radical does it use? (semantic hint)
2. What is the phonetic component? (pronunciation hint)
3. What other characters share this radical?

Example analysis — 清 qīng (clear/pure):

• 氵(water) = semantic: relates to water/liquids
• 青 qīng = phonetic: suggests pronunciation qīng
• Related characters: 请qǐng (please), 情qíng (emotion), 晴qíng (sunny)

Component vs. Radical

A radical (部首) is the one component used to index a character in a dictionary. A component (部件) is any recurring structural element.

Not every character has an obvious semantic radical — some radicals were assigned based on obscure ancient forms. For learning, focus on components that appear frequently and hint at meaning.

Resources

• Pleco: Shows radical + component decomposition for every character
• Hanzicraft.com: Visual decomposition trees
• Arch Chinese: Radical charts + stroke animations
• Remembering the Hanzi (Heisig): Mnemonic system for learning characters via stories