knife

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictographic depiction of a knife blade in oracle-bone script. It represents the shape of a cutting blade or sword.

Mnemonic: The vertical stroke with a slight curve at the top resembles a sharp blade poised to cut.

• 刀dāo🔊

  knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把[ba3])

  HSK 3

  2 strokes

• 刁diāo🔊

  artful

  2 strokes

• 刂dāo🔊

  Kangxi radical 18 (刀[dao1]) as a vertical side element, referred to as 立刀旁[li4 dao1 pang2] or 側刀旁|侧刀旁[ce4 dao1 pang2]

  2 strokes

• 刃rèn🔊

  edge of blade

  3 strokes

• 分fēn🔊

  to divide; to separate

  HSK 1

  4 strokes

• 切qiè🔊

  definitely; absolutely (not)

  HSK 4

  4 strokes

• 刈yì🔊

  mow

  4 strokes

• 刊kān🔊

  old variant of 刊[kan1]

  5 strokes

• 刌cǔn🔊

  (literary) to cut off; to sever

  5 strokes

• 刚gāng🔊

  hard

  HSK 2

  6 strokes

• 则zé🔊

  (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then

  HSK 7

  6 strokes

• 刘liú🔊

  (classical) a type of battle-ax

  6 strokes

• 列liè🔊

  to arrange

  HSK 4

  6 strokes

• 划huà🔊

  to delimit

  HSK 4

  6 strokes

• 创chuàng🔊

  variant of 創|创[chuang4]

  HSK 7

  6 strokes

• 刑xíng🔊

  punishment

  6 strokes

• 刎wěn🔊

  cut across (throat)

  6 strokes

• 刓wán🔊

  to trim

  6 strokes

• 刖yuè🔊

  to amputate one or both feet (punishment in imperial China) (one of the five mutilating punishments 五刑[wu3 xing2])

  6 strokes

• 别bié🔊

  to leave; to part (from)

  HSK 1

  7 strokes

• 利lì🔊

  sharp

  HSK 6

  7 strokes

• 初chū🔊

  (bound form) at first; initially

  HSK 3

  7 strokes

• 判pàn🔊

  (bound form) to differentiate; to distinguish

  HSK 6

  7 strokes

• 删shān🔊

  to delete

  HSK 7

  7 strokes

• 刨páo🔊

  to dig

  HSK 7

  7 strokes

• 刜fú🔊

  to chop

  7 strokes

• 刞qù🔊

  old variant of 耝[qu4]

  7 strokes

• 刡mǐn🔊

  to scrape; to pare

  7 strokes

• 刬chǎn🔊

  variant of 鏟|铲[chan3]

  7 strokes

• 刭jǐng🔊

  cut the throat

  7 strokes

• 到dào🔊

  to reach; to arrive

  HSK 1

  8 strokes

• 刺cì🔊

  thorn

  HSK 4

  8 strokes

• 刮guā🔊

  to blow (of the wind)

  HSK 6

  8 strokes

• 刷shuā🔊

  a brush

  HSK 4

  8 strokes

• 刻kè🔊

  quarter (hour)

  HSK 2

  8 strokes

• 剂jì🔊

  (bound form) a compound made by mixing ingredients (esp. a medicinal or chemical product)

  HSK 7

  8 strokes

• 制zhì🔊

  system

  HSK 7

  8 strokes

• 剁duò🔊

  to chop up (meat etc)

  8 strokes

• 券quàn🔊

  variant of 券[quan4]

  HSK 6

  8 strokes

• 㓥tāng🔊

  (Cantonese) to butcher; to cut open; to chop up (used in 劏房|㓥房[tang1 fang2])

  8 strokes

• 刱chuàng🔊

  variant of 創|创[chuang4]

  8 strokes

• 刲kuī🔊

  cut open and clean

  8 strokes

• 刳kū🔊

  to cut open

  8 strokes

• 刴duò🔊

  variant of 剁[duo4]

  8 strokes

• 刵èr🔊

  cutting off the ears as punishment

  8 strokes

• 刹shā🔊

  to brake

  8 strokes

• 刽guì🔊

  to amputate

  8 strokes

• 刾cì🔊

  old variant of 刺[ci4]

  8 strokes