LIST OF RADICALS

STROKE#	RADICAL	MEANING	PICTOGRAM	NOTES	Example
1	⼀	one, horizontal stroke, ground		Indicates the number one
1	⼁	Rod, be brought up and down
1	⼂	dot		Ancient punctuation mark	丸 =Round
1	⼃	Raising one’s head and standing upright, arrive
1	⼄ ⺃	the second		a developing plant
1	⼅	Hook		A backward hook
2	⼆	two		Two parallel lines indicating the number two	互-Mutual
2	⼇	lid, top
2	⼈ ⺅ 𠆢	person		side view of a standing man, highlighting the arms and legs	健-Health
2	⼉	human legs		A standing person	兄-Older brother
2	⼊	to enter		an arrowhead indicating "to enter"	全-Whole
2	⼋	eight		2 bent lines indicating the original meaning of "to divide". This character is later borrowed to mean "eight" because of homonymy, making the original meaning obsolete	共-Together
2	⼌	to enclose, wide, same			冊-Volumes
2	⼍	cover, crown
2	⼎	ice
2	⼏ ⺇	Table, stool, wind		Stool viewed from the side
2	⼐	container, open box, cave
2	⼑ ⺉	knife, sword			利-Advantage
2	⼒	power		An arm bending from the side of the body.
2	⼓	to wrap, to enwrap
2	⼔	Spoon, dagger
2	⼕	box		A kind of container
2	⼖	to conceal, hide			匹-Counter for animals
2	⼗	ten		十 was originally simply a vertical stroke. In later forms 一 was added, forming a cross
2	⼘	oracle		A crack in an oracle bone, which was used for divination
2	⼙	stamp, seal, kneeling person
2	⼚	Cliff, to oppose
2	⼛	Private, I		revolving around oneself
2	⼜	again, right hand			双-Pair
3	⼝	Mouth Also used for abstract meanings
3	⼞	border, territorial boundaries			囲-Surround
3	⼟	earth		A lump of clay on a potter’s wheel
3	⼠	man, scholar, samurai		Soldier holding axe-like tool
3	⼡	to follow, two legs and something behind, winter, late			変-Strange
3	⼢	to go slowly, footprint
3	⼣	evening		Moon crescent
3	⼤	large, big		A person 人 with arms stretched out as far as possible	央-Center
3	⼥	woman		A woman with breasts kneeling or standing	姫-Princess
3	⼦	child, son		The image of a baby with a large head and spread arms
3	⼧	roof, house			宿-Hotel
3	⼨	“sun” - 3.03 cm, control		A position on the forearm where the pulse can be palpated by compressing the radial artery. It is called sun in Chinese, and the meaning of a unit of measurement is derived from the distance between the wrist and this position.
3	⼩	small		Three small granules of sand
3	⺌	Small, fire, light		Refer to radicals 小 and 火
3	⺐	lame leg		A man with bent legs (jumping or collapsing)
3	⼫	corpse, awning		A man with his legs bending, and a side to the front.
3	⼬	sprout		A sprouting plant
3	⼭	mountain		Three mountain peaks
3	⼮	winding river			州-Continent
3	川	river
3	⼯	work, carpenter, skill		Phonetic = KOU A bladed tool
3	⼰	self		Silk rope for binding objects
3	⼱	Cloth, towel
3	⼲	to dry, shield		A pestle
3	⺓	young, slight
3	⼴	slanting roof, tent		A house that is built to depend on a cliff	店-Store
3	⼵	to move, stretch		A man with one leg behind him, implying a stride.
3	⼶	folded hands		𠂇 (“left hand”) + 又 (“right hand”), hence both hands
3	⼷	A small spike, ceremony		Originally a small spike	式-Ceremony
3	⼸	bow （in archery）		A representation of a bow
3	⼹ ⺕ ⺔	pig’s head, Hand		A pig’s head
3	⼺	hair-style, light rays		Three strands of hair	形-Form, shape
3	⼻	step, stride, street, to go			行-Go
3	⺾	grass		Original - ⾋	草-Grass
3	⻌	road, walk, to advance		Original - ⾡	速-Quick
3	⻏(on the right)	Large village, country, city		Original ⾢	郡-County
3	⻖(on the left)	hill, mound		Original ⾩	院-Institution
3	⺖	heart, mind, spirit		A simplification of the radical ⼼	快-Pleasant
3	⺘	hand		Refer to radical ⼿	持-To hold
3	⺡	water		Refer to radical 水	活-Life
3	⺨ 犬	Beast, dog		A side view of a dog	猫-Cat
4	⼼ ⺗	heart, mind, spirit		a heart, now highly stylized	悲-sorrow
4	⼽	spear, weapon		a tool or weapon on a pole, the pole having developed into the long upper-left to lower-right diagonal stroke
4	⼾	door		A half of 門 (“door”)
4	⼿	hand		Hand and fingers	挙-Plan
4	⽀	branch		A hand grabbing a branch of bamboo
4	⺙ ⽁	activity, to strike, hit, a whip
4	⽂	literature, letters		A man with a tattooed chest.
4	⽃	big dipper, ladle, 18 liters		Indicating a ladle-shaped dou
4	⽄	axe
4	⽅	direction, flag		Tip of a blade. Later borrowed to mean side
4	⽆	not
4	⽇	sun, day, time		A dot or line was added in the center to distinguish it from visually similar characters	昭-Bright
4	⽈	to say		a mouth (口) with word or breath (一) coming out	曲-Tune
4	⽉ ⺝	moon, month, period		Representation of a crescent moon	期-Period of time
4	⽊	tree, wood		a tree: branches on top, roots on the bottom
4	⽋	to lack, yawn, deficient
4	⽌	to stop		A footprint, originally meaning foot.	歩-Walk
4	⽍	death & dying, to decompose		Human remains
4	⽎	lance shaft, action		A hand holding a tool, hence activity	段-Steps, stairs
4	⽏	not, mother
4	⽐	to compare		人 (“man”) + 人 – to juxtapose.
4	⽑	Hair, fur		Feather or hair
4	⽒	family, clan		A man bending over to sow the field
4	⽓	steam, air		A pictogram of clouds flowing through the sky.
4	⽔	water		A pictogram representing water. Simplified radical氵
4	⽕	fire		Graphical representation of a fire
4	⺣	Fire, claws/legs/fins		Refer to radical ⽕	熱-Hot 魚-Fish
4	⽖ ⺤ 爫	claw, nail		A hand grabbing from above
4	⽗	father		A hand holding a stone, referring to a man working with a stone axe.
4	⽘	to mix		2 stacked ‘X’ marks, indicating cuts or marks.
4	⽙ 丬	split wood, piece
4	⽚	split wood, fragment, one side		Half of 木 (tree)
4	⽜ 牜	cow		Pictogram of a cow	牧-Pasture
4	⽝	dog		A side view of a dog
4	⺭	altar, festival, religious service		Refer to radical ⽰	神-God
4	㓁	net		Original ⽹
4	⺹	old, old-age		Original ⽼ 人 (“man”) + 毛 (“hair”) + 匕 (“cane”) – a man with long hair (an old man), leaning on a cane
5	⽞	darkness		The oldest basic color term for "black" which was later replaced by 黑
5	⽟ 王	Jewelry, King		The character's shape was historically very similar to 王; a dot was introduced to differentiate the two. 王- The traditional interpretation is that the three horizontal strokes represent Heaven, Man and Earth. The vertical stroke is the king, the one who connects them together.
5	⽡	tile		Fired earthenware pottery, or a tile.
5	⽢	sweet		Something in the mouth - sweet
5	⽣	birth, to be born, live		屮 “bud” + 一 “ground” – sprouting from the ground.
5	⽤	to use		A water bucket
5	⽥	rice paddy, bag of feed		Pictographic representation of a field
5	⽦ ⺪	roll of cloth		A foot with a leg on top
5	⽧	sickness		A bed or stretcher for the sick
5	⽨	outspread legs, departure		Right and left foot	発-Departure
5	⽩	White, bright		Light emitted by the rising sun
5	⽪	skin, hide		A hand stripping the fur from an animal pelt
5	⽫	plate, bowl		Empty container such as chalice
5	⽬	eye		A pictogram of an eye
5	⽭	halberd
5	⽮	arrow		Pictographic representation of an arrow
5	⽯	stone		A stone beneath a cliff
5	⽰	altar, festival, religious service		Simplified version ⺭
5	⽱	footprint
5	⽲	grain		picture of a plant stalk	秋-Fall
5	⽳	hole, cave		An entrance to a cave
5	⽴	to stand		A person standing on the ground
5	⽛	fang, canine tooth
5	⺫ 𦉰	Net, eye		Original ⽹
5	⻂ ⾐	clothing			初-First, new
6	⽵ ⺮	bamboo		two bamboo stalks, with leaves
6	⽶	Rice kernels
6	⽷	thread		Split of silk	緑-Green
6	⽸	Boiler		A pot with a lid
6	⽺ ⺷	sheep			美-Pretty
6	⽻	feather, wing		Wings of feathers
6	⽽	and also		A pictogram of a beard. Original meaning was “you”, “your”
6	⽾	plow		A wooden (木) plow with originally three cross lines (彡) for the furrows of the plow, later simplified to two.
6	⽿	ear		Pictogram of an ear
6	⾀	writing brush		A hand grabbing a brush
6	⾁ ⺝	flesh, meat		ribs of an animal’s torso or simply a physical representation of a slice of meat	腹-Belly
6	⾃	self		Pictogram of a nose. In China (and East Asia) one points at one’s nose to indicate oneself
6	⾄	to arrive, reach
6	⾅	mortar, quern		A mortar
6	⾆	tongue		a forked tongue emerging upwards from a mouth
6	⾇	Dancing legs		Two feet facing each other	舞う-Dance
6	⾈	ship, boat			航-Navigate
6	⾉	Boundary, northeast
6	⾊	color		Human complexion
6	⾌	tiger
6	⾍	worm, insect, bug, snake		Pictogram of a snake. Later borrowed to mean insect.
6	⾎	blood		A drop of blood inside a chalice for sacrificial uses.
6	⾏	to go		A street intersection
6	⾐ ⻂	Clothing, garment		Outline of the chest, upper clothing	表-Surface
6	⾑ ⻃	cover, west
6	⽠	melon		A pictograph of a melon suspended by its vines.
7	⾒	to see		An eye on a pair of legs	観-Outlook
7	⾓	horn, corner
7	⾔	words, to speak, say		created by adding a mark to 舌 to indicate movement of the tongue
7	⾕	valley		In between two mountains
7	⾖	bean		Some kind of container
7	⾗	pig		A pig sideways	象-Elephant
7	⾘	badger		Beast with long vertebral column
7	⾙	shell, money		Cowries (type of mollusk) was used as money in ancient China (Shell money)
7	⾚	red		A big person caught in red fire
7	⾛	to run		Running man
7	⾜ ⻊	foot, leg
7	⾝	body		A pictogram of a pregnant woman
7	⾞	vehicle, wheel, car		A pictogram from a carriage seen from above
7	⾟	bitter		Picture of a tool - a carving knife or a chisel - used to mark slaves and criminals.
7	⾠	Dragon, fields		A kind of agricultural tool used for tilling the fields and removing weeds
7	⾣	sake jar, bird		An ancient vase used in making and storing fermented millet alcoholic drink	酒-Sake
7	⾤	to separate
7	⾥	village, (3.93 km)		田 “field” + 土 “soil, earth” – a measure of land and fields.
7	⾂	retainer, minister		A vertical eye of a man looking downwards. As the individual character it is used as a metaphor meaning “to surrender”
7	⻨	wheat		Traditional character - ⿆
8	⾦	metal, gold, mineral		Originally referred to copper. Later, the meaning was extended to metal as a whole, and then to gold	鉄-Iron
8	⻑	long		Originally long hair
8	⾨	gate, door			関-Barrier
8	⾪	to capture, slave
8	⾫	small bird		A short tailed bird
8	⾬ ⻗	rain		A cloud with drops of rain falling from it	電-Electricity
8	⻘	Blue-green		Original ⾭ The growth of plants	静-Quiet
8	⾮	wrong, non-
8	⻟	food, to eat		Refer to radical ⾷
8	⻫	alike		Traditional ⿑ A field of grain, hence of uniform height.
9	⾯	face, surface		A man’s face, with an eye exaggerated
9	⾰	leather		A stretched animal hide: the upper is head, the bottom is the tail and legs.
9	⾲	leek		Leek in the ground.
9	⾳	sound, noise		言 (“word”) with something in 口 (“mouth”) – sound comes from the mouth
9	⾴	head, sheet (paper)		Head of a kneeling person	頭-Head
9	⾵	wind		Ancient Chinese thought insects appear with wind
9	⾶	to fly		Looks like a bird flying upwards
9	⾷	food, to eat		a mouth over a bowl of rice on a stand	養-Foster
9	⾸	Head, neck		An animal with a long mouth and horns
9	⾹	scent		黍 “glutinous millet” + 甘 “sweet”
10	⾺	horse		A horse with its head facing the left, showing a flowing mane in the wind	駐-Stop-over
10	⾻	bone		冎 (“skull”) + ⺼ (“body”)
10	⾼	high		A picture of a building
10	⾽	long hair		A compound between long and hair
10	⾾	fighting		Two figures face-to-face, fighting with bare hands.
10	⾿	herbs
10	⿀	tripod		A pictogram of a tripod
10	⿁	demon		A man with an ugly face and a tail
10	⾱	Tanned leather		Footsteps around an enclosure.
11	⿂	fish		Pictographic representation of a fish
11	⿃	bird		A bird with a dangling tail
11	⿄	salt		A bag of salt
11	⿅	deer		Pictogram of a deer.
11	⿇	hemp
11	⻩	yellow		Traditional character - ⿈
11	黒	black		A person (大) with a tattooed face, depicting penal tattooing (墨), one of the five punishments of ancient China.
11	⻲	turtle		Traditional character - ⿔ A drawing of a turtle seen from the side and from above
12	⿉	millet
12	⿋	Embroider, sawing
12	⻭	tooth		Original - ⿒	齢-Age
13	⿌	frog
13	⿍	Trio, triad		Three-legged metal pot
13	⿎	drum		A hand drum
13	⿏	rat, mouse		A mouse or rat. The upper component represents the open mouth of a rat with teeth displayed, and the lower component represents the two feet of a rat on the left and a tail on the right.
14	⿐	nose		Some scholars interpret it as a nose and two lungs
16	⿓	dragon		Originally a serpent with prominent whiskered mouth and eyes.
17	⿕	flute		A woodwind instrument.