Thirty Useful Chinese

Radicals

by Dr. Richard Stibbard

www.chinaglos.co.uk
30 Useful Radicals
Radicals are intended to indicate the rough meaning of a character. Sometimes they do; sometimes
they don’t. This selection of thirty do so fairly well.

Radical Full Pron. Radical name & meaning Example characters

form(s) form
shŏu Hand – for actions with the
打 dǎ ‘hit, beat, strike’
扌手 手 hand
拉 lā ‘pull’
shŭi Water – for water & other
河 hé ‘river’
氵 水 fluids
清 qīng ‘clear’ (as of water)
kŏu Mouth – for speech, sounds,
吗 ma question ma?
口 口 onomatopeia, grammatical
particles 吧 ba suggestion ba
nǚ Woman – female
妈妈 māma ‘mother’
女 女 妹妹 mèimei ‘younger sister’
rén Standing man – human
们 -men the plural suffix in
亻 人 wŏmen, nǐmen etc.
mù Wood – for things made (or
林 lín ‘wood, forest’
木 木 once made) of wood
机 jī ‘machine’
xīn Heart – for emotions
忠 zhōng ‘loyal’
忄心 心 怕 pà ‘fear, afraid’
yán Speech – for speech &
说 shuō ‘speak’
讠 言 language
请 qǐng ‘please’
Grass – for plants (excluding
花 huā ‘flower’
艹 trees)
菜 cài ‘vegetables’
sī Silk – for threads; also
红 hóng ‘red’
纟 糸 connections & ties of all
sorts; also some colours 线 xiàn ‘thread’
Travel – for movement
近 jìn ‘close, near’
辶 远 yuǎn ‘far away’
ròu Meat, flesh – for body parts
脑 nǎo ‘brain’
月 肉 脚 jiǎo ‘foot’
tŭ Earth – for things made of
地 dì ‘earth, soil’
土 土 earth (or once made of earth)
城 chéng ‘city; wall’
Radical Full Pron. Radical name & meaning Example characters
form(s) form
rì Sun – to do with the sun &
晴 qíng ‘clear’ (of the sky)
日 日 the sky
明 míng ‘bright’
bēi Shell – for valuables
财 cái ‘riches, wealth’
贝 贝 货 huò ‘goods’
huŏ Fire & heat – also methods
热 rè ‘hot’
灬火 火 of cooking
煎 jiān ‘fry’
dāo Knife
切 qiè ‘cut, slice’
刂 刀 分 fēn ‘divide’
jīn Gold – for all metals and
钟 zhōng ‘clock’
钅 金 things made of metal
铜 tóng ‘brass, bronze’
shí Eat – food & eating
饭 fàn ‘rice’
饣 食 饱 bǎo ‘full’ (eating)
mù Eye – eyes & seeing
看 kàn ‘see, look’
目 目 眼睛 yǎnjing ‘eye(s)’
yī Clothes
衫 shān ‘garment, shirt’
衤 衣 裙 qún ‘skirt’
shì Show – signs,
神 shén ‘god’
礻 示 manifestations, religious
things 祝 zhù ‘pray; wish’
zhú Bamboo – things made (or
笔 bǐ ‘pen, brush’
⿫ 竹 once made) of bamboo
箱 xiāng ‘box, chest, trunk’
yù Jade – also for things made
珍珠 zhēnzhū ‘pearl’
王 玉 of other precious/semi-
precious stones 环 huán ‘jade ring’
quǎn Dog – animals
狗 gŏu ‘dog’
犭 犬 猫 māo ‘cat’
zú Foot – walking
路 lù ‘road; path’
⿱ 足 跑 pǎo ‘run, race’
chóng Insect – insects, lizards &
蛋 dàn ‘egg’
虫 虫 eggs
蛇 shé ‘snake’
Radical Full Pron. Radical name & meaning Example characters
form(s) form
yŭ Rain – weather
雪 xuě ‘snow’
雨 雨 雷 léi ‘thunder’
Illness – all illnesses
病 bìng ‘sick, ill’
疒 疼 téng ‘pain; it hurts’
mǐ Rice – also powders
粉 fěn ‘powder’
米 米 糖 táng ‘sugar’