woman

(nü3)

Radical no. 38 · 3 strokes (38 部首 · 3 38 bùshǒu · 3 huà)

Radical ⼥ (nǚ) — meaning: woman, 3 strokes.

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictograph in oracle-bone and seal scripts, depicting the form of a woman with arms crossed or raised in prayer. Over time, this image was simplified into the three distinctive curved strokes we see today.

Mnemonic: Three curved strokes hugged together like the silhouette of a woman's body — easy to remember as "woman."

Characters with this radical (含此部首的字 hán cǐ bùshǒu de zì)

1 characters
  • female

    HSK 1

    3 strokes

Related radicals (相关部首 xiāngguān bùshǒu)

Same stroke count or numerically adjacent in the 214-radical set.