Character Building Blocks

Kangxi Radicals

kāngxī bùshǒu

The 214 Kangxi radicals are the building blocks of the Chinese writing system. Established in the Kangxi Dictionary of 1716, they classify every Chinese character by its root component — unlocking patterns of meaning across thousands of characters.

May 27, 2026

214Total Radicals

1–17Stroke Range

1716Year Published

47,035Characters Classified

What Are Radicals?

Semantic Components

Radicals often hint at a character's meaning. The water radical 氵 appears in 河 (river), 海 (sea), and 洗 (wash). The wood radical 木 appears in 树 (tree), 林 (forest), and 桥 (bridge).

Dictionary Organization

Traditional Chinese dictionaries organize characters by radical, then by the number of remaining strokes. This system dates back to the Shuowen Jiezi (100 CE) and was standardized in the Kangxi Dictionary.

Learning Strategy

Knowing radicals helps you guess unfamiliar characters' meanings, remember characters more easily, and look up characters in traditional dictionaries. Focus on high-frequency radicals first.

1 Stroke 6 radicals

#1一yīonevery high

#2丨gǔnline, strokemedium

#3丶zhǔdotmedium

#4丿piěslash, left-fallingmedium

#5乙yǐsecond, bentmedium

#6亅juéhooklow

2 Strokes 23 radicals

#7二èrtwovery high

#8亠tóulid, headhigh

#9人rénpersonvery high

#10儿érlegs, sonhigh

#11入rùenterhigh

#12八bāeight, dividevery high

#13冂jiōngborders, widemedium

#14冖mìcovermedium

#15冫bīngicehigh

#16几jītable, windmedium

#17凵kǎnopen mouthlow

#18刀dāoknifevery high

#19力lìpower, forcevery high

#20勹bāowrapmedium

#21匕bǐspoonmedium

#22匚fāngbox, chestmedium

#23匸xǐhiding enclosurelow

#24十shítenvery high

#25卜bǔdivinationmedium

#26卩jiésealmedium

#27厂hàncliffhigh

#28厶sīprivatemedium

#29又yòuagain, right handvery high

3 Strokes 31 radicals

#30口kǒumouthvery high

#31囗wéienclosurehigh

#32土tǔearthvery high

#33士shìscholarhigh

#34夂zhǐgo, followmedium

#35夊suīgo slowlylow

#36夕xīeveninghigh

#37大dàbigvery high

#38女nǚwomanvery high

#39子zǐchild, sonvery high

#40宀miánroofvery high

#41寸cùninchhigh

#42小xiǎosmallvery high

#43尢wānglamelow

#44尸shīcorpse, bodyhigh

#45屮chèsproutlow

#46山shānmountainvery high

#47巛chuānrivermedium

#48工gōngworkvery high

#49己jǐoneselfhigh

#50巾jīncloth, towelhigh

#51干gāndry, shieldhigh

#52幺yāotiny, threadmedium

#53广guǎngwide, sheltervery high

#54廴yǐnlong stridemedium

#55廾gǒngtwo handsmedium

#56弋yìshoot, arrowmedium

#57弓gōngbowhigh

#58彐jìsnoutmedium

#59彡shānbristle, hairmedium

#60彳chìstep (left)very high

4 Strokes 34 radicals

#61心xīnheartvery high

#62戈gēhalberdvery high

#63戶hùdoorhigh

#64手shǒuhandvery high

#65支zhībranchmedium

#66攴pūrap, taphigh

#67文wénliteraturevery high

#68斗dǒudipper, measuremedium

#69斤jīnaxe, weighthigh

#70方fāngsquare, directionvery high

#71无wúnot, withouthigh

#72日rìsun, dayvery high

#73曰yuēsaymedium

#74月yuèmoon, monthvery high

#75木mùtree, woodvery high

#76欠qiànlack, yawnhigh

#77止zhǐstopvery high

#78歹dǎideath, badmedium

#79殳shūweaponmedium

#80毋wúdo notmedium

#81比bǐcomparehigh

#82毛máofur, hairhigh

#83氏shìclanmedium

#84气qìsteam, gashigh

#85水shuǐwatervery high

#86火huǒfirevery high

#87爪zhǎoclawmedium

#88父fùfatherhigh

#89爻yáomix, twinelow

#90爿pánhalf tree trunkmedium

#91片piànslicemedium

#92牙yátooth, fangmedium

#93牛niúcow, oxvery high

#94犬quǎndogvery high

5 Strokes 23 radicals

#95玄xuándark, mysteriousmedium

#96玉yùjadevery high

#97瓜guāmelonmedium

#98瓦wǎtilemedium

#99甘gānsweetmedium

#100生shēnglife, birthvery high

#101用yòngusevery high

#102田tiánfieldvery high

#103疋pǐbolt of clothlow

#104疒nèsicknessvery high

#105癶bōfootstepsmedium

#106白báiwhitevery high

#107皮pískinhigh

#108皿mǐndish, vesselhigh

#109目mùeyevery high

#110矛máospearmedium

#111矢shǐarrowhigh

#112石shístonevery high

#113示shìshow, spiritvery high

#114禸róutracklow

#115禾hégrainvery high

#116穴xuécave, holehigh

#117立lìstandvery high

6 Strokes 29 radicals

#118竹zhúbamboovery high

#119米mǐricevery high

#120糸mìsilk, threadvery high

#121缶fǒujarmedium

#122网wǎngnethigh

#123羊yángsheepvery high

#124羽yǔfeatherhigh

#125老lǎooldvery high

#126而érand, yethigh

#127耒lěiplowmedium

#128耳ěrearvery high

#129聿yùbrushmedium

#130肉ròumeat, fleshvery high

#131臣chénministermedium

#132自zìself, nosevery high

#133至zhìarrivehigh

#134臼jiùmortarmedium

#135舌shétonguehigh

#136舛chuǎnopposelow

#137舟zhōuboathigh

#138艮gènstop, stubbornhigh

#139色sècolorhigh

#140艸cǎograssvery high

#141虍hūtiger stripeshigh

#142虫chónginsectvery high

#143血xuèbloodmedium

#144行xíngwalk, govery high

#145衣yīclothesvery high

#146襾yàwest, coverhigh

7 Strokes 20 radicals

#147見jiànseevery high

#148角jiǎohornhigh

#149言yánspeech, wordvery high

#150谷gǔvalleymedium

#151豆dòubeanmedium

#152豕shǐpighigh

#153豸zhìbadgerlow

#154貝bèishell, moneyvery high

#155赤chìredmedium

#156走zǒuwalk, runvery high

#157足zúfootvery high

#158身shēnbodyhigh

#159車chēcart, vehiclevery high

#160辛xīnbitter, 8thmedium

#161辰chénmorningmedium

#162辵chuòwalkvery high

#163邑yìcityvery high

#164酉yǒuwine vesselhigh

#165釆biàndistinguishmedium

#166里lǐvillage, milevery high

8 Strokes 9 radicals

#167金jīngold, metalvery high

#168長chánglongvery high

#169門méngatevery high

#170阜fùmound, hillvery high

#171隶lìslavelow

#172隹zhuīshort-tailed birdvery high

#173雨yǔrainvery high

#174靑qīngblue-greenvery high

#175非fēiwrong, nothigh

9 Strokes 11 radicals

#176面miànfacehigh

#177革géleatherhigh

#178韋wéitanned leathermedium

#179韭jiǔleeklow

#180音yīnsoundvery high

#181頁yèpage, headvery high

#182風fēngwindvery high

#183飛fēiflyhigh

#184食shíeat, foodvery high

#185首shǒuhead, chiefhigh

#186香xiāngfragranthigh

10 Strokes 8 radicals

#187馬mǎhorsevery high

#188骨gǔbonehigh

#189高gāotall, highvery high

#190髟biāolong hairmedium

#191鬥dòufightmedium

#192鬯chàngsacrificial winelow

#193鬲lìcauldronmedium

#194鬼guǐghost, spirithigh

11 Strokes 6 radicals

#195魚yúfishvery high

#196鳥niǎobirdvery high

#197鹵lǔsaltmedium

#198鹿lùdeermedium

#199麥màiwheatmedium

#200麻máhempmedium

12 Strokes 4 radicals

#201黃huángyellowhigh

#202黍shǔmilletlow

#203黑hēiblackvery high

#204黹zhǐembroiderylow

13 Strokes 4 radicals

#205黽mǐnfrog, toadlow

#206鼎dǐngtripod cauldronmedium

#207鼓gǔdrummedium

#208鼠shǔrat, mousemedium

14 Strokes 2 radicals

#209鼻bínosehigh

#210齊qíeven, equalhigh

15 Strokes 1 radical

#211齒chǐtoothhigh

16 Strokes 2 radicals

#212龍lóngdragonvery high

#213龜guīturtlemedium

17 Strokes 1 radical

#214龠yuèflutelow

qiān lǐ zhī xíng shǐ yú zú xià

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Laozi, Dao De Jing

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