What a radical is
A radical is a recurring part of a character that often hints at its meaning, such as 氵 for water in 河, 海 and 洗, or 讠 for speech in 说 and 话. The classic system has 214 radicals, collected in the Kangxi Dictionary of 1716 and still used as the reference numbering in Unicode. Since 2009 a national standard in mainland China has used a list of 201 radicals for simplified characters, but the Kangxi numbers remain the easiest way to look a radical up anywhere.
How this list was counted
A dictionary files every character under one radical, its index radical, and the Unicode Han Database (Unihan) records that radical for each character in a field called kRSUnicode. This page takes the 3,088 characters that the official HSK syllabus lists for levels 1 to 9 and counts how many of them Unihan files under each radical. Each character counts once: 好 is filed under 女, so it adds nothing to 子, and 想 is filed under 心, not under 木 or 目. Where Unihan gives two radicals for a character, the first value, which Unicode defines as the standard radical-stroke count, is used. A radical that appears in a character without being its index radical is not counted.
Variant forms share a row
Many radicals change shape on the left or the top of a character: 水 becomes 氵, 手 becomes 扌, 人 becomes 亻 and 心 becomes 忄. Simplified Chinese adds forms of its own, such as 讠 for 言 and 钅 for 金. Like a dictionary, Unihan files all of these under the number of the full radical, so each row shows the full form first and, in brackets, the shapes you will actually see inside the characters.
Two cases that look the same
The 阝 on the left of 院 and 阴 comes from 阜 (mound, number 170); the 阝 on the right of 都 and 部 comes from 邑 (city, number 163). The 月 of 期 and 朋 is the moon (number 74), but in body words such as 脸, 脚 and 脑 the same shape stands for 肉 (flesh, number 130). Unihan keeps each pair apart, so each has its own row in the list.
How to use the ranking
Start at the top. The first 20 radicals index 1,665 of the 3,088 characters, so knowing what they mean gives you a foothold in roughly 54% of everything from HSK 1 to 9. After those, it pays to learn radicals as they come up in new characters rather than working down the whole table, because a rare radical is easier to remember inside the character that brought it to you.
Remember that a part can carry the sound instead of the meaning. 马 means horse in 骑 (to ride), but in 吗, 妈 and 码 it only tells you that the character sounds like ma. A dictionary files those three under 口, 女 and 石, the parts that hint at their meaning, and so does this list.
Three memory hooks to try
A short story that joins the parts of a character is an easy way to make it stick. Here are three, written for this page:
- 氵 + 先 = 洗 (to wash): water comes first, before anything else, when you wash.
- 扌 + 丁 = 打 (to hit): a hand driving a nail (丁) is hitting it.
- 讠 + 舌 = 话 (words): speech made with the tongue (舌) becomes words.
Where radicals stop helping
Simplification merged and reshaped many parts, and some characters no longer show the pieces that once explained them. The simplified 头 (head) and 东 (east) are two everyday examples: dictionaries file them under 大 and 一, which says little about their meaning. Radicals are a memory aid, not a rule. They work best together with the words a character appears in, which is how Hanzijo teaches each one: the character, its parts and its memory tip first, then the words that use it, with audio and example sentences.
All radicals that index at least 3 HSK characters
147 radicals, ranked by the number of HSK 1–9 characters filed under them. The examples are characters from the lowest HSK levels filed under each radical.
147 radicals shown
| # | Radical | Kangxi no. | Meaning | HSK 1–9 | HSK 1–3 | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 手 (扌) | 64 | hand | 189 | 19 | 打 找 拿 把 搬 |
| 2 | 水 (氵) | 85 | water | 170 | 22 | 汉 没 漂 洗 泳 |
| 3 | 口 | 30 | mouth | 151 | 38 | 吧 唱 吃 哥 号 |
| 4 | 人 (亻) | 9 | person | 124 | 26 | 便 候 会 件 今 |
| 5 | 木 | 75 | tree, wood | 120 | 24 | 杯 本 果 机 来 |
| 6 | 心 (忄) | 61 | heart | 106 | 21 | 忙 您 息 想 怎 |
| 7 | 艸 (艹) | 140 | grass | 89 | 9 | 菜 茶 苹 花 药 |
| 8 | 糸 (纟) | 120 | silk, thread | 77 | 13 | 给 系 红 经 累 |
| 9 | 言 (讠) | 149 | speech, words | 77 | 20 | 读 话 课 请 认 |
| 10 | 肉 (月) | 130 | meat, flesh (written 月 on the left, as in 脸) | 67 | 9 | 脑 能 脚 脸 胖 |
| 11 | 辵 (辶) | 162 | walk, movement | 66 | 16 | 边 道 还 这 过 |
| 12 | 火 (灬) | 86 | fire | 59 | 9 | 点 热 然 灯 炼 |
| 13 | 土 | 32 | earth | 57 | 9 | 块 在 坐 场 地 |
| 14 | 日 | 72 | sun, day | 52 | 12 | 明 时 是 晚 星 |
| 15 | 女 | 38 | woman | 51 | 13 | 好 姐 妈 妹 奶 |
| 16 | 貝 (贝) | 154 | shell, money | 46 | 2 | 贵 赛 败 费 负 |
| 17 | 宀 | 40 | roof | 44 | 12 | 家 客 它 宜 室 |
| 18 | 金 (钅) | 167 | metal, gold | 44 | 7 | 钱 钟 错 铁 锻 |
| 19 | 刀 (刂) | 18 | knife | 39 | 9 | 到 分 前 别 初 |
| 20 | 目 | 109 | eye | 37 | 9 | 看 睡 真 睛 眼 |
| 21 | 阜 (阝) | 170 | mound, hill (阝 on the left) | 34 | 6 | 院 阴 阿 除 附 |
| 22 | 竹 | 118 | bamboo | 32 | 10 | 第 笔 等 篮 笑 |
| 23 | 石 | 112 | stone | 29 | 3 | 矿 码 碗 础 破 |
| 24 | 禾 | 115 | grain | 29 | 3 | 租 秋 种 程 积 |
| 25 | 足 | 157 | foot | 28 | 6 | 跟 路 跑 踢 跳 |
| 26 | 一 | 1 | one | 26 | 14 | 不 东 两 七 三 |
| 27 | 山 | 46 | mountain | 26 | 2 | 岁 岸 崇 岛 峰 |
| 28 | 犬 (犭) | 94 | dog | 26 | 2 | 狗 猫 猜 独 猴 |
| 29 | 疒 | 104 | sickness | 26 | 3 | 病 疼 瘦 痛 疯 |
| 30 | 大 | 37 | big | 25 | 6 | 太 天 夫 头 奇 |
| 31 | 巾 | 50 | cloth, towel | 25 | 6 | 常 师 市 帮 希 |
| 32 | 衣 (衤) | 145 | clothes | 25 | 7 | 表 裤 被 衬 裙 |
| 33 | 頁 (页) | 181 | head, page | 25 | 5 | 题 颜 顾 须 顿 |
| 34 | 虫 | 142 | insect | 24 | 2 | 蛋 虽 蝶 蝴 蛇 |
| 35 | 力 | 19 | power, strength | 23 | 7 | 动 办 加 努 务 |
| 36 | 广 | 53 | shelter | 22 | 4 | 床 店 康 应 底 |
| 37 | 車 (车) | 159 | cart, vehicle | 22 | 4 | 较 辆 轻 输 转 |
| 38 | 尸 | 44 | corpse, body | 21 | 4 | 层 居 屋 展 尽 |
| 39 | 攴 (攵) | 66 | tap, strike | 21 | 5 | 教 放 故 收 数 |
| 40 | 玉 (王) | 96 | jade (written 王 on the left) | 21 | 6 | 班 玩 现 球 环 |
| 41 | 彳 | 60 | step | 20 | 3 | 得 很 往 待 律 |
| 42 | 食 (饣) | 184 | eat, food | 20 | 6 | 饭 馆 饱 饿 饺 |
| 43 | 田 | 102 | field | 19 | 5 | 男 画 留 界 番 |
| 44 | 米 | 119 | rice | 19 | 3 | 糕 糖 粗 精 糊 |
| 45 | 門 (门) | 169 | gate, door | 19 | 4 | 间 问 闻 闹 阅 |
| 46 | 馬 (马) | 187 | horse | 19 | 2 | 骑 骄 验 驾 骂 |
| 47 | 穴 | 116 | cave, hole | 18 | 3 | 穿 空 突 窗 究 |
| 48 | 酉 | 164 | wine jar | 18 | 1 | 酒 酸 醒 配 醉 |
| 49 | 冫 | 15 | ice | 17 | 8 | 冷 准 冰 冬 净 |
| 50 | 示 (礻) | 113 | spirit, altar | 17 | 3 | 视 票 礼 福 禁 |
| 51 | 儿 | 10 | legs | 16 | 3 | 先 元 光 克 免 |
| 52 | 八 | 12 | eight | 15 | 9 | 公 关 六 兴 典 |
| 53 | 十 | 24 | ten | 14 | 7 | 半 卖 千 午 单 |
| 54 | 厂 | 27 | cliff | 14 | 1 | 历 厕 厨 厚 厉 |
| 55 | 又 | 29 | again, right hand | 14 | 7 | 友 变 发 受 叔 |
| 56 | 囗 | 31 | enclosure | 14 | 6 | 国 回 四 因 图 |
| 57 | 雨 | 173 | rain | 14 | 4 | 零 雪 需 雾 震 |
| 58 | 子 | 39 | child | 13 | 5 | 孩 学 字 季 存 |
| 59 | 耳 | 128 | ear | 13 | 3 | 聪 聊 聚 联 聘 |
| 60 | 丿 | 4 | slash | 12 | 4 | 么 乐 乎 久 乘 |
| 61 | 弓 | 57 | bow | 12 | 2 | 弟 张 弹 强 引 |
| 62 | 皿 | 108 | dish | 12 | 1 | 盘 盒 盐 盖 盆 |
| 63 | 戈 | 62 | halberd | 11 | 4 | 我 成 或 戏 戴 |
| 64 | 欠 | 76 | lack, yawn | 11 | 3 | 歌 欢 次 歉 款 |
| 65 | 邑 (阝) | 163 | city, town (阝 on the right) | 11 | 4 | 都 那 邻 邮 部 |
| 66 | 亠 | 8 | lid | 10 | 2 | 亮 交 产 京 亲 |
| 67 | 寸 | 41 | inch | 10 | 2 | 对 封 导 将 尊 |
| 68 | 牛 | 93 | cow | 10 | 3 | 特 物 牢 牵 牡 |
| 69 | 舟 | 137 | boat | 10 | 2 | 般 船 航 艘 舶 |
| 70 | 走 | 156 | run | 10 | 5 | 超 起 趣 越 赶 |
| 71 | 鳥 (鸟) | 196 | bird | 10 | 2 | 鸡 鸭 鹅 鸽 鹤 |
| 72 | 乙 | 5 | second, hook | 9 | 5 | 九 买 书 习 也 |
| 73 | 二 | 7 | two | 9 | 4 | 五 些 于 互 亚 |
| 74 | 月 | 74 | moon, month | 9 | 6 | 服 朋 期 有 望 |
| 75 | 网 (罒) | 122 | net | 9 | 1 | 罚 置 罕 罪 罢 |
| 76 | 羽 | 124 | feather | 9 | 1 | 翻 翅 翠 翘 翁 |
| 77 | 隹 | 172 | short-tailed bird | 9 | 1 | 难 集 雄 雌 雕 |
| 78 | 卩 | 26 | seal | 8 | 1 | 卫 即 却 危 印 |
| 79 | 立 | 117 | stand | 8 | 1 | 站 竞 童 端 竖 |
| 80 | 辛 | 160 | bitter | 8 | 0 | 辣 辞 辨 辩 辫 |
| 81 | 几 | 16 | table | 7 | 1 | 凭 凡 凳 凤 凰 |
| 82 | 凵 | 17 | open box | 7 | 1 | 出 击 凹 函 凸 |
| 83 | 小 | 42 | small | 7 | 3 | 少 尝 尔 尘 尖 |
| 84 | 方 | 70 | square | 7 | 3 | 旅 旁 族 施 旗 |
| 85 | 止 | 77 | stop | 7 | 2 | 正 步 此 武 歪 |
| 86 | 歹 | 78 | death | 7 | 0 | 死 殊 残 殖 歼 |
| 87 | 矢 | 111 | arrow | 7 | 3 | 知 矮 短 矩 矫 |
| 88 | 魚 (鱼) | 195 | fish | 7 | 2 | 鲜 鲨 鳄 鲸 鲤 |
| 89 | 丨 | 2 | line | 6 | 2 | 个 中 丰 临 串 |
| 90 | 丶 | 3 | dot | 6 | 2 | 为 主 举 义 丹 |
| 91 | 冖 | 14 | cover | 6 | 1 | 写 农 冠 军 冗 |
| 92 | 勹 | 20 | wrap | 6 | 2 | 包 勺 匆 匀 勾 |
| 93 | 卜 | 25 | divination | 6 | 1 | 卡 卧 占 卦 卤 |
| 94 | 工 | 48 | work | 6 | 3 | 左 差 巧 巨 巩 |
| 95 | 廾 | 55 | two hands | 6 | 1 | 开 弄 弃 异 弊 |
| 96 | 斤 | 69 | axe | 6 | 2 | 新 断 斥 斧 斩 |
| 97 | 殳 | 79 | weapon | 6 | 1 | 段 殿 毁 殴 毅 |
| 98 | 白 | 106 | white | 6 | 3 | 百 的 皇 皆 皂 |
| 99 | 虍 | 141 | tiger | 6 | 0 | 虎 虑 虚 虏 虐 |
| 100 | 見 (见) | 147 | see | 6 | 2 | 觉 观 规 览 觅 |
| 101 | 革 | 177 | leather | 6 | 1 | 鞋 靶 鞭 鞠 靴 |
| 102 | 鬼 | 194 | ghost | 6 | 0 | 魅 魂 魁 魔 魄 |
| 103 | 冂 | 13 | down box | 5 | 3 | 再 最 冒 内 册 |
| 104 | 士 | 33 | scholar | 5 | 2 | 声 壶 壮 壳 士 |
| 105 | 夕 | 36 | evening | 5 | 2 | 多 外 够 夜 夕 |
| 106 | 干 | 51 | dry, shield | 5 | 3 | 年 平 并 幸 干 |
| 107 | 彡 | 59 | bristle, hair | 5 | 1 | 影 彩 形 彬 彰 |
| 108 | 戶 (户) | 63 | door | 5 | 2 | 房 所 扇 扁 户 |
| 109 | 曰 | 73 | say | 5 | 1 | 更 曾 曲 替 曰 |
| 110 | 羊 | 123 | sheep | 5 | 1 | 美 羡 羞 群 羊 |
| 111 | 行 | 144 | walk, go | 5 | 2 | 街 衡 衔 衍 行 |
| 112 | 身 | 158 | body | 5 | 1 | 躺 躲 躬 躯 身 |
| 113 | 亅 | 6 | hook | 4 | 2 | 了 事 争 予 |
| 114 | 匸 | 23 | hiding enclosure | 4 | 2 | 医 区 匹 匿 |
| 115 | 尢 | 43 | lame | 4 | 1 | 就 尤 尬 尴 |
| 116 | 己 | 49 | oneself | 4 | 2 | 巴 巷 己 已 |
| 117 | 幺 | 52 | short thread | 4 | 0 | 幽 幼 幻 乡 |
| 118 | 斗 | 68 | dipper | 4 | 1 | 料 斜 斟 斗 |
| 119 | 父 | 88 | father | 4 | 2 | 爸 爷 爹 父 |
| 120 | 舌 | 135 | tongue | 4 | 1 | 舒 舍 舔 舌 |
| 121 | 豕 | 152 | pig | 4 | 0 | 象 豫 豪 豚 |
| 122 | 里 | 166 | village, mile | 4 | 2 | 重 量 野 里 |
| 123 | 音 | 180 | sound | 4 | 1 | 竟 章 韵 音 |
| 124 | 匕 | 21 | spoon | 3 | 2 | 北 化 匙 |
| 125 | 厶 | 28 | private | 3 | 2 | 去 参 县 |
| 126 | 巛 | 47 | river | 3 | 0 | 州 巢 川 |
| 127 | 廴 | 54 | long stride | 3 | 0 | 建 延 廷 |
| 128 | 彐 | 58 | snout | 3 | 1 | 当 录 归 |
| 129 | 毋 | 80 | do not | 3 | 1 | 每 母 毒 |
| 130 | 比 | 81 | compare | 3 | 1 | 毕 毙 比 |
| 131 | 毛 | 82 | fur | 3 | 1 | 毫 毯 毛 |
| 132 | 氏 | 83 | clan | 3 | 0 | 民 氓 氏 |
| 133 | 气 | 84 | steam, air | 3 | 1 | 氛 氧 气 |
| 134 | 爪 (爫) | 87 | claw | 3 | 2 | 爱 爬 爪 |
| 135 | 片 | 91 | slice | 3 | 1 | 牌 版 片 |
| 136 | 瓦 | 98 | tile | 3 | 1 | 瓶 瓷 瓦 |
| 137 | 甘 | 99 | sweet | 3 | 1 | 甜 甚 甘 |
| 138 | 缶 | 121 | jar | 3 | 0 | 缺 罐 缸 |
| 139 | 老 (耂) | 125 | old | 3 | 3 | 者 老 考 |
| 140 | 而 | 126 | and, beard | 3 | 1 | 耐 耍 而 |
| 141 | 耒 | 127 | plough | 3 | 0 | 耗 耕 耘 |
| 142 | 聿 | 129 | brush | 3 | 0 | 肃 肆 肇 |
| 143 | 襾 | 146 | west, cover | 3 | 2 | 要 覆 西 |
| 144 | 角 | 148 | horn | 3 | 2 | 解 触 角 |
| 145 | 風 (风) | 182 | wind | 3 | 1 | 飘 飙 风 |
| 146 | 骨 | 188 | bone | 3 | 0 | 骼 髓 骨 |
| 147 | 黑 | 203 | black | 3 | 1 | 默 墨 黑 |
Characters and levels: the recognition-character lists of the official HSK syllabus, 3,088 characters for levels 1 to 9. Index radicals: the kRSUnicode field of the Unicode Han Database, Unicode 18.0.0, first value. Radical forms and Kangxi numbers: the Unicode Kangxi Radicals block and CJKRadicals.txt.
Key facts
- Radical list: Each of the 3,088 characters of the official HSK 1–9 syllabus is counted once, under the index radical given by the Unicode Han Database (Unihan, Unicode 18.0.0).
- What it is: Hanzijo: Learn Chinese HSK 1-9 on the App Store, a Chinese learning app for HSK 1 to 9.
- Devices: iPhone and iPad with iOS 16 or later; the widgets need iOS 17 or later. There is no Android version at the moment.
- Price: Free to download. Premium is $5.99 a month, $39.99 a year or $149.99 once on the US App Store (prices vary by country), and one Premium account also unlocks Kanjijo and Hanguljo.
- Free plan: Free users get one new lesson a day, daily reviews, the widgets, the camera scanner, lessons from a pasted video link, the first conversation topic of each level and the first two dictation lessons of each level.
- Content: 3,088 characters, 10,940 words, 558 grammar points, 502 lessons, 266 conversations and 144 dictation lessons, HSK 1 to 9.
Facts checked on (app version 2.0.10).
Learning radicals with this list
- Learn the meanings of the top 20 radicals, a few a day.
- For each new character, name its radicals before you read its meaning.
- Use the filter to look up a radical by shape or by meaning.
- In Hanzijo, tap a character’s radical to see its meaning and memory hook.
Good to know
- Hanzijo runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 16 or later; there is no Android version at the moment.
- Each character is counted once, under the index radical Unihan lists first; a radical that appears elsewhere in a character is not counted.
- Kangxi numbers are given for reference; the 201-radical standard for simplified characters numbers them differently.
Frequently asked questions
How many Chinese radicals are there?
The classic Kangxi system has 214; the mainland Chinese standard for simplified characters uses 201. Filed by their index radicals, the 3,088 characters of the HSK 1–9 syllabus use 204 of the 214, and 147 of them index at least three characters.
Which Chinese radical is the most common?
Among the HSK 1–9 characters, 手 (hand, also written 扌) indexes the most, 189 characters, followed by 水 (water, also written 氵) with 170 and 口 (mouth) with 151.
Do I need to learn all the radicals?
No. The 20 most common already index more than half of the HSK characters, 1,665 of 3,088. Learn those first, then pick up the rest as they come up in new characters.
Why is 阝 listed twice?
Because it is two radicals that look the same: on the left it comes from 阜 (mound, number 170), on the right from 邑 (city, number 163).
Sources
- Kangxi Radicals: Unicode code chart U+2F00 to U+2FDF (PDF), The Unicode Consortium
- Unicode Han Database (Unihan), UAX #38, The Unicode Consortium: kRSUnicode, the index radical of each character
- HSK, levels 1 to 9, Chinese Testing International
- New HSK Test Syllabus (PDF, Chinese), Chinese Testing International; the word and character lists by level
- Kangxi radicals, Wikipedia: history and the 201-radical list for simplified Chinese
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