Chinese Radicals Guide (偏旁部首 / Bùshǒu): 25 High-Frequency Semantic & Phonetic Components
Over 80% of Mandarin Chinese characters are Phono-Semantic Compounds (形声字 / Xíngshēngzì): one component—the semantic Radical (部首 / Bùshǒu)—tells you the category of meaning (water, hand action, speech, metal, plant, or emotion), while the other component hints at the pronunciation. Instead of memorizing 2,600+ HSK characters as random lines, master the 25 high-leverage radicals below to decode unfamiliar characters on sight.
Complete List of 25 Characters, Pinyin, Radicals & Vocabulary
Click the ✍️ Practice button on any row to launch interactive stroke-order handwriting practice on the canvas.
| No | Hanzi | Pinyin & Radical | Meaning | Example Vocabulary | Strokes | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 河 | hé 部首: 氵 | River — Water radical 氵 (三点水 sān diǎn shuǐ: rivers, liquids, washing) | 黄河 / 洗澡 Huánghé / xǐzǎo Yellow River / Take a bath | 8 | ✍️ Practice |
| 2 | 打 | dǎ 部首: 扌 | Hit, play, type — Hand radical 扌 (提手旁 tíshǒupáng: physical hand actions) | 打电话 / 找 dǎ diànhuà / zhǎo Make a phone call / Look for | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 3 | 吃 | chī 部首: 口 | To eat — Mouth radical 口 (口字旁 kǒuzìpáng: eating, calling, question particles) | 吃饭 / 喝茶 chīfàn / hē chá Eat a meal / Drink tea | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 4 | 忙 | máng 部首: 忄 | Busy — Standing Heart radical 忄 (竖心旁 shùxīnpáng: emotions, psychology) | 快慢 / 担心 kuàimàn / dānxīn Fast & slow / Worry | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 5 | 说 | shuō 部首: 讠 | Speak — Speech radical 讠 (言字旁 yánzìpáng: language, asking, thanking) | 说话 / 请问 shuōhuà / qǐngwèn Speak / Excuse me | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 6 | 钱 | qián 部首: 钅 | Money — Metal/Gold radical 钅 (金字旁 jīnzìpáng: metals, coins, hardware) | 银行 / 铁矿 yínháng / tiěkuàng Bank / Iron ore | 10 | ✍️ Practice |
| 7 | 花 | huā 部首: 艹 | Flower — Grass/Plant crown 艹 (草字头 cǎozìtóu: plants, tea, medicine, vegetables) | 喝茶 / 蔬菜 hē chá / shūcài Drink tea / Vegetables | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 8 | 树 | shù 部首: 木 | Tree — Wood/Tree radical 木 (木字旁 mùzìpáng: trees, furniture, structures) | 桌子 / 森林 zhuōzi / sēnlín Table / Forest | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 9 | 烧 | shāo 部首: 火 | Burn, braise, fever — Fire radical 火 (火字旁 huǒzìpáng: fire, heat, cooking) | 烤鸭 / 发烧 kǎoyā / fāshāo Roast duck / Have a fever | 10 | ✍️ Practice |
| 10 | 煮 | zhǔ 部首: 灬 | Boil, cook — 4-Dot Fire base 灬 (四点底 sìdiǎndǐ: flames heating from below) | 热水 / 煎煮 rèshuǐ / jiānzhǔ Hot water / Simmer & boil | 12 | ✍️ Practice |
| 11 | 红 | hóng 部首: 纟 | Red — Silk radical 纟 (绞丝旁 jiǎosīpáng: textiles, colors, continuity, paper) | 经理 / 继续 jīnglǐ / jìxù Manager / Continue | 6 | ✍️ Practice |
| 12 | 贵 | guì 部首: 贝 | Expensive — Shell/Money radical 贝 (贝字旁 bèizìpáng: trade, wealth, finance) | 货品 / 贸易 huòpǐn / màoyì Goods / Trade | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 13 | 远 | yuǎn 部首: 辶 | Far — Walking radical 辶 (走之旁 zǒuzhīpáng: movement, distance, roads) | 近远 / 送货 jìnyuǎn / sònghuò Near & far / Deliver goods | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 14 | 家 | jiā 部首: 宀 | Home, family — Roof radical 宀 (宝盖头 bǎogàitóu: indoor shelter, safety, rooms) | 安全 / 宿舍 ānquán / sùshè Safety / Dormitory | 10 | ✍️ Practice |
| 15 | 病 | bìng 部首: 疒 | Illness — Sickness radical 疒 (病字旁 bìngzìpáng: medical symptoms, pain) | 疼痛 / 医院 téngtòng / yīyuàn Pain / Hospital | 10 | ✍️ Practice |
| 16 | 看 | kàn 部首: 目 | Look, see — Eye radical 目 (目字旁 mùzìpáng: vision, eyes, sleeping) | 眼睛 / 睡觉 yǎnjing / shuìjiào Eyes / Sleep | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 17 | 听 | tīng 部首: 口 | Listen — Mouth 口 + 斤 axe phonetic/semantic compound | 听力 / 听见 tīnglì / tīngjiàn Listening comprehension / Hear | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 18 | 跑 | pǎo 部首: 足 | Run — Foot radical ⻊ (足字旁 zúzìpáng: running, jumping, kicking, roads) | 跑步 / 跳舞 pǎobù / tiàowǔ Jogging / Dance | 12 | ✍️ Practice |
| 19 | 饭 | fàn 部首: 饣 | Rice, meal — Food radical 饣 (食字旁 shízìpáng: food, dumplings, hunger) | 米饭 / 饺子 mǐfàn / jiǎozi Cooked rice / Dumplings | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 20 | 衫 | shān 部首: 衤 | Shirt, garment — Clothing radical 衤 (衣字旁 yīzìpáng: 2 dots on right, 5 strokes total) | 衬衫 / 裤子 chènshān / kùzi Shirt / Pants | 8 | ✍️ Practice |
| 21 | 神 | shén 部首: 礻 | Spirit — Altar/Blessing radical 礻 (示字旁 shìzìpáng: 1 dot on right, 4 strokes total) | 精神 / 祝福 jīngshén / zhùfú Spirit & energy / Blessing | 9 | ✍️ Practice |
| 22 | 礼 | lǐ 部首: 礻 | Courtesy, gift — Altar radical 礻 + 乚 | 礼物 / 礼貌 lǐwù / lǐmào Gift / Politeness | 5 | ✍️ Practice |
| 23 | 冷 | lěng 部首: 冫 | Cold — 2-Dot Ice radical 冫 (两点水 liǎngdiǎnshuǐ: freezing, ice, winter) | 冷水 / 结冰 lěngshuǐ / jiébīng Cold water / Freeze into ice | 7 | ✍️ Practice |
| 24 | 雪 | xuě 部首: 雨 | Snow — Rain/Weather crown 雨 (雨字头 yǔzìtóu: rain, snow, thunder, clouds) | 下雪 / 雷雨 xiàxuě / léiyǔ Snowing / Thunderstorm | 11 | ✍️ Practice |
| 25 | 国 | guó 部首: 囗 | Country — Outer Enclosure radical 囗 (国字框 guózìkuàng: borders, gardens, parks) | 国家 / 公园 guójiā / gōngyuán Country / Public park | 8 | ✍️ Practice |
💡 Study Tips & Exam Strategy
- Never confuse the two look-alike left radicals: 礻 (Altar/Blessing 示字旁, 4 strokes, 1 side dot—used in 福 blessing, 神 spirit, 礼 gift) vs. 衤 (Clothing 衣字旁, 5 strokes, 2 side dots—used in 衬衫 shirt, 裤 pants, 被 quilt).
- Distinguish 氵 (3-dot Water 三点水: 河 river, 海 sea, 洗 wash) from 冫 (2-dot Ice 两点水: 冷 cold, 冰 ice, 冻 freeze).
- Explore all 214 Kangxi Radicals interactively at https://hanzi.aldianapps.com/hsk/radicals and click AI Hanzi Laoshi on any character to view its full component breakdown.
- Unlock all 2,600+ HSK 1–6 characters and 214 radicals forever with the Lifetime Pro Pass ($17.99 USD with promo code HANZI10 or Rp 44.100 IDR with promo code HEMAT10).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between a Chinese radical (部首) and a character component (偏旁)?
A 偏旁 (piānpáng) is any structural building block on the left, right, top, or bottom of a compound character. A 部首 (bùshǒu, radical) is the specific indexing component used to categorize that character in a Chinese dictionary (traditionally one of the 214 Kangxi Radicals).
How do I tell 礻 (4 strokes) apart from 衤 (5 strokes)?
礻 comes from 示 (altar/ritual) and has only ONE short stroke on the right side (as in 福 fú = blessing, 礼 lǐ = courtesy). 衤 comes from 衣 (clothing) and has TWO short strokes on the right side (as in 衫 shān = shirt, 裤 kù = trousers).
Does Hanzi Scribe include a dedicated 214 Kangxi Radicals deck?
Yes! You can practice stroke order for all 214 Kangxi Radicals at https://hanzi.aldianapps.com/hsk/radicals, and unlock the entire HSK 1–6 + Radicals library forever for $19.99 USD ($17.99 USD with code HANZI10) or Rp 49.000 IDR (Rp 44.100 IDR with code HEMAT10).
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