open box

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictograph representing an open box or vessel, showing the upper portion as the lid or mouth of a container. In oracle-bone and seal script forms, this shape reflects a box with its lid open.

Mnemonic: Two strokes form an open box with a wide mouth at the top, easy to picture as a container or storage vessel.

• 凵kǎn🔊

  receptacle

  2 strokes

• 凶xiōng🔊

  vicious

  HSK 6

  4 strokes

• 𠙶Ǒu🔊

  (name of a mountain)

  4 strokes

• 出chū🔊

  variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels)

  HSK 1

  5 strokes

• 击jī🔊

  to hit

  5 strokes

• 凹āo🔊

  concave; depressed; sunken; indented; female (connector etc)

  HSK 7

  5 strokes

• 凸tū🔊

  to stick out; protruding; convex; male (connector etc)

  HSK 7

  5 strokes

• 函hán🔊

  envelope

  8 strokes

• 凿záo🔊

  (bound form) chisel

  HSK 7

  12 strokes