Kanji Radicals (部首)
Reference guide to the 214 classical radicals (bushu) used in Japanese kanji — with meanings, stroke counts, variant forms, and key example kanji.
The 214 classical radicals (部首, bushu) are the building blocks of kanji. They originated from the Kangxi Dictionary (1716) and are still used to index kanji in Japanese dictionaries. Learning the most frequent radicals dramatically accelerates kanji recognition.
Why Learn Radicals
- Pattern recognition: Recognizing radicals in unfamiliar kanji gives you semantic and structural clues
- Dictionary lookup: Traditional kanji dictionaries are indexed by radical
- Mnemonic scaffolding: WaniKani and RTK both use radical components to build kanji mnemonics
- Reading speed: Expert readers perceive kanji as combinations of known components, not individual strokes
Most Important Radicals (by frequency)
These radicals appear in hundreds of common kanji. Master these first:
| # | Radical | Variant forms | Strokes | Meaning | Key kanji examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 人 | 亻 (side form) | 2 | person | 休 (rest), 作 (make), 使 (use), 仕 (serve), 代 (replace) |
| 30 | 口 | — | 3 | mouth | 言 (say), 叫 (shout), 味 (taste), 問 (ask), 知 (know) |
| 75 | 木 | — | 4 | tree/wood | 林 (woods), 森 (forest), 机 (desk), 板 (board), 橋 (bridge) |
| 85 | 水 | 氵 (side), 氺 (bottom) | 4 | water | 泳 (swim), 海 (sea), 池 (pond), 流 (flow), 洗 (wash) |
| 86 | 火 | 灬 (bottom) | 4 | fire | 炎 (flame), 焼 (burn), 熱 (heat), 焦 (scorch), 蒸 (steam) |
| 64 | 手 | 扌 (side) | 4 | hand | 持 (hold), 押 (push), 打 (hit), 指 (finger), 投 (throw) |
| 61 | 心 | 忄 (side), 㣺 (bottom) | 4 | heart/mind | 悲 (sad), 思 (think), 忘 (forget), 愛 (love), 恋 (love/longing) |
| 149 | 言 | 訁 (side) | 7 | speech | 語 (language), 話 (talk), 読 (read), 書 (write), 詩 (poem) |
| 72 | 日 | — | 4 | sun/day | 明 (bright), 時 (time), 晴 (clear), 暗 (dark), 昔 (past) |
| 120 | 糸 | 糸 | 6 | thread/string | 紙 (paper), 結 (bind), 終 (end), 細 (thin), 絵 (picture) |
| 32 | 土 | — | 3 | earth/soil | 地 (ground), 城 (castle), 場 (place), 基 (foundation), 墓 (grave) |
| 18 | 刀 | 刂 (side), 刁 | 2 | sword/knife | 切 (cut), 別 (separate), 剣 (sword), 刺 (stab), 利 (profit) |
| 40 | 宀 | — | 3 | roof/shelter | 家 (house), 室 (room), 定 (fix), 安 (peaceful), 客 (guest) |
| 162 | 辶 | 辵 | 3–4 | movement | 道 (road), 通 (pass), 近 (near), 遠 (far), 返 (return) |
| 167 | 金 | 釒 (side) | 8 | metal/gold | 銀 (silver), 鉄 (iron), 銅 (copper), 鏡 (mirror), 鍵 (key) |
| 130 | 肉 | 月 (side — same form as moon!) | 6 | flesh/body | 脳 (brain), 胸 (chest), 腹 (belly), 肺 (lung), 腕 (arm) |
| 173 | 雨 | — | 8 | rain | 雪 (snow), 雷 (thunder), 霧 (fog), 電 (electricity), 雲 (cloud) |
| 44 | 尸 | — | 3 | corpse/body | 居 (dwell), 層 (layer), 屋 (roof/store), 尾 (tail), 局 (bureau) |
| 57 | 弓 | — | 3 | bow | 弱 (weak), 強 (strong), 張 (stretch), 引 (pull), 弾 (bullet/play) |
| 112 | 石 | — | 5 | stone/rock | 砂 (sand), 磁 (magnet), 破 (break), 硬 (hard), 確 (confirm) |
Complete Radical List by Stroke Count
1-stroke radicals
| # | Radical | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | one/horizontal |
| 2 | 丨 | vertical stroke |
| 3 | 丶 | dot |
| 4 | 丿 | slash |
| 5 | 乙 (乚) | second/bent |
| 6 | 亅 | hook |
2-stroke radicals (partial list)
| # | Radical | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 二 | two/double |
| 8 | 亠 | lid |
| 9 | 人 (亻) | person |
| 10 | 儿 | legs |
| 11 | 入 | enter |
| 12 | 八 | eight/divide |
| 13 | 冂 | borders |
| 14 | 冖 | cover |
| 15 | 冫 | ice |
| 16 | 几 | table |
| 17 | 凵 | open box |
| 18 | 刀 (刂) | knife |
| 19 | 力 | power/strength |
| 20 | 勺 | ladle/wrap |
3-stroke radicals (selected)
| # | Radical | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 匚 | box |
| 27 | 厂 | cliff |
| 29 | 又 | again/right hand |
| 30 | 口 | mouth |
| 31 | 囗 | enclosure |
| 32 | 土 | earth |
| 33 | 士 | scholar/samurai |
| 34 | 夂 | go slowly |
| 36 | 夕 | evening |
| 37 | 大 | big |
| 38 | 女 | woman |
| 39 | 子 | child |
| 40 | 宀 | roof |
| 41 | 寸 | inch/measurement |
| 42 | 小 | small |
| 43 | 尢 | lame |
| 44 | 尸 | corpse |
| 46 | 山 | mountain |
| 47 | 巛 (川) | river |
| 48 | 工 | work/craft |
| 49 | 己 | self |
| 50 | 巾 | cloth/towel |
| 51 | 干 | dry |
| 53 | 广 | lean-to |
| 54 | 廴 | long stride |
| 57 | 弓 | bow |
| 58 | 彐 | bristle |
| 59 | 彡 | hair/beard |
| 60 | 彳 | step |
4-stroke radicals (selected)
| # | Radical | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | 心 (忄) | heart |
| 62 | 戈 | spear |
| 63 | 戶 | door |
| 64 | 手 (扌) | hand |
| 65 | 支 | branch |
| 66 | 攴 (攵) | strike |
| 67 | 文 | writing |
| 68 | 斗 | dipper |
| 69 | 斤 | ax |
| 70 | 方 | direction/square |
| 71 | 无 (旡) | lacking |
| 72 | 日 | sun/day |
| 73 | 曰 | say |
| 74 | 月 | moon/month |
| 75 | 木 | tree |
| 76 | 欠 | lack/yawn |
| 77 | 止 | stop |
| 78 | 歹 | bad/death |
| 79 | 殳 | weapon/beat |
| 80 | 毋 | do not |
| 81 | 比 | compare |
| 82 | 毛 | hair/fur |
| 84 | 气 | air/breath |
| 85 | 水 (氵) | water |
| 86 | 火 (灬) | fire |
| 87 | 爪 (爫) | claw |
| 88 | 父 | father |
| 90 | 片 | slice |
| 91 | 牙 | fang |
| 92 | 牛 | cow/ox |
| 93 | 犬 (犭) | dog |
5–8 stroke radicals (selected)
| # | Radical | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 96 | 玉 (王) | jade/jewel |
| 109 | 目 | eye |
| 112 | 石 | stone |
| 113 | 示 (礻) | spirit/altar |
| 117 | 立 | stand |
| 118 | 竹 (⺮) | bamboo |
| 120 | 糸 | thread |
| 122 | 网 (罒) | net |
| 123 | 羊 | sheep |
| 124 | 羽 | wings/feathers |
| 128 | 耳 | ear |
| 129 | 聿 | brush |
| 130 | 肉 (月) | flesh/body |
| 134 | 臼 | mortar |
| 135 | 舌 | tongue |
| 140 | 艸 (艹) | grass/plant |
| 142 | 虫 | insect/worm |
| 145 | 衣 (衤) | clothing |
| 147 | 見 | see |
| 149 | 言 (訁) | speech |
| 152 | 豕 | pig |
| 154 | 貝 | shell/money |
| 157 | 足 (⻊) | foot/leg |
| 160 | 辛 | bitter/hardship |
| 162 | 辶 (辵) | walk |
| 163 | 邑 (阝right) | city/town |
| 167 | 金 (釒) | metal |
| 170 | 阜 (阝left) | mound/hill |
| 173 | 雨 | rain |
| 175 | 非 | not/wrong |
| 184 | 食 (飠) | eat/food |
| 187 | 馬 | horse |
| 189 | 高 | tall/high |
| 196 | 鳥 | bird |
| 199 | 麦 | wheat |
| 200 | 麻 | hemp/sesame |
| 211 | 魚 | fish |
| 213 | 龍 | dragon |
| 214 | 龠 | flute |
Tips for Learning Radicals
- Focus on the 50 most frequent: The top 50 radicals appear in ~80% of common kanji
- Learn the variant forms: 人 becomes 亻 on the left side; 水 becomes 氵; 心 becomes 忄 — these variations are essential to recognize
- Use WaniKani or RTK: Both systems teach radicals explicitly as the foundation of kanji learning
- Don't confuse 月 (moon) and 月 (flesh/肉): The radical 月 serves double duty in Japanese — same shape, different meaning depending on context (月曜日 = Monday; 脳 = brain, 胸 = chest both use 月 as the flesh/body radical)
- Notice radicals in daily reading: Every time you look up a kanji, note its radical and think about why it makes sense (if at all)