Radical

Radical 目 (mù, eye) relates to eyes, seeing, and visual concepts. Usually on the left. Examples: 看 (kàn, look), 眼 (yǎn, eye), 盲 (máng, blind).

Radical 走 (zǒu, walk/run) is related to the side form 辶, which signals movement, change, or progression. Examples: 走 (zǒu, walk), 逃 (táo, escape), 进 (jìn, enter).

Radical 食 (shí, food) becomes 饣 on the left and relates to eating, drinking, and food. Examples: 饭 (fàn, rice/meal), 饼 (bǐng, cake), 饱 (bǎo, full).

Radical 金 (jīn, metal) becomes 钅 on the left and relates to metals, money, and valuables. Examples: 钱 (qián, money), 银 (yín, silver), 钉 (dīng, nail).

Radical 女 (nǚ, woman) on the left typically marks words about women or feminine qualities. Examples: 妈 (mā, mother), 妹 (mèi, younger sister), 好 (hǎo, good).

Radical 土 (tǔ, earth) relates to soil, dust, or hard natural materials. Usually on the left. Examples: 地 (dì, ground/place), 城 (chéng, city), 墙 (qiáng, wall).

Radical 火 (huǒ, fire) becomes 灬 at the bottom of a character and signals fire, heat, or light. Examples: 热 (rè, hot), 灯 (dēng, lamp), 燃 (rán, burn).

Radical 口 (kǒu, mouth) hints at meanings related to the mouth, sound, or enclosed spaces. Examples: 吃 (chī, eat), 叫 (jiào, shout), 回 (huí, return).

Radical 木 (mù, tree/wood) is the root for characters about trees, wood, and wooden items. It usually sits on the left. Examples: 树 (shù, tree), 林 (lín, forest), 桥 (qiáo, bridge).

Radical 心 (xīn, heart) typically appears at the bottom or as 忄 on the left. It connects to emotions, mental states, and feelings. Examples: 想 (xiǎng, think/want), 怕 (pà, fear), 忘 (wàng, forget).

Radical 氵 is the shortened form of 水 (shuǐ, water) when positioned on the left. It signals water, liquids, or flow-related meanings. Examples: 河 (hé, river), 海 (hǎi, sea), 泪 (lèi, tears).

Radical 亻 is a compact form of 人 (rén, person). When it appears on the left side of a character, it typically signals meanings related to people or human actions. Examples: 你 (nǐ, you), 他 (tā, he/she), 休 (xiū, rest).

The 彳 radical appears in characters about walking, journeys, or motion. Examples: 行 (xíng, walk), 往 (wǎng, toward), 待 (dāi, wait), 很 (hěn, very). Often related to movement or state of being.

The 金 radical, or 钅 when on the left, marks characters about metals, money, or gold. Examples: 钱 (qián, money), 铁 (tiě, iron), 银 (yín, silver), 钟 (zhōng, bell). Many metal-tool characters use this radical.

The 日 radical appears in characters about time, days, or brightness. Examples: 早 (zǎo, early), 明 (míng, bright/clear), 晴 (qíng, sunny), 时 (shí, time). Often linked to temporal or light-related concepts.

The 女 radical marks characters about women, femininity, or family relationships. Examples: 妈 (mā, mother), 姐 (jiě, sister), 好 (hǎo, good), 妒 (dù, jealous). Many family-related characters use this radical.

The 手 radical, or 扌 when on the left, appears in characters about hands, using hands, or grasping. Examples: 拿 (ná, hold), 打 (dǎ, hit), 推 (tuī, push), 握 (wò, grip). Typically related to physical actions.

The 口 radical marks characters about the mouth, eating, or sound. Examples: 吃 (chī, eat), 喝 (hē, drink), 听 (tīng, listen), 回 (huí, return). Usually linked to the mouth, sound, or an enclosed space.

The 人 radical, or 亻 when on the left, marks characters about people, personality, or human actions. Examples: 他 (tā, he), 们 (men, plural suffix), 休 (xiū, rest), 你 (nǐ, you). One of the most common radicals in Chinese.

The 土 radical appears in characters about earth, soil, dust, or stationary ground structures. Examples: 地 (dì, earth), 塔 (tǎ, tower), 墙 (qiáng, wall), 坑 (kēng, pit). Often linked to geography or architecture.

The 木 radical represents trees, wood, and wooden objects. Examples: 树 (shù, tree), 林 (lín, forest), 橡 (xiàng, oak/rubber tree), 桌 (zhuō, desk). Two or three 木 together form 林 (forest) or 森 (dense forest).

The 火 radical marks characters about fire, heat, light, or energy. Examples: 灯 (dēng, lamp), 热 (rè, hot), 烧 (shāo, burn), 炸 (zhá, fry). It keeps the form 火 on the left and becomes 灬 at the bottom.

The 水 radical appears in characters about water, rivers, seas, and liquids. Examples: 河 (hé, river), 泪 (lèi, tear), 酒 (jiǔ, alcohol), 海 (hǎi, sea). Often written as 氵 when positioned on the left side of a character.

The 心 radical appears in characters related to feelings, emotions, and mental states. Examples: 想 (xiǎng, want), 怕 (pà, fear), 快 (kuài, happy), 懂 (dǒng, understand). When you see 心 in a character, it usually hints at psychology or emotion.

The 金 radical (or variant form 钅) marks words related to metals, gold, money, or hard materials. Examples: 钱 (qián, money), 钉 (dīng, nail), 锁 (suǒ, lock), 铁 (tiě, iron).

The 日 radical marks words related to the sun, days, or time. Examples: 早 (zǎo, morning), 晚 (wǎn, evening), 明 (míng, bright), 昨 (zuó, yesterday).

The 足 radical marks words related to feet or movement. Examples: 跑 (pǎo, run), 跳 (tiào, jump), 路 (lù, road).

The 衣 radical (or variant form 衤) marks words related to clothing or things that cover. Examples: 裙 (qún, skirt), 衬 (chèn, lining/shirt), 袖 (xiù, sleeve).

The 食 radical (or variant form 饣) marks words related to food, eating, or drinking. Examples: 饭 (fàn, rice/meal), 饺 (jiǎo, dumpling), 饿 (è, hungry).

The 手 radical (or variant form 扌) marks words related to hands and hand-based actions. Examples: 拿 (ná, grab), 打 (dǎ, hit), 拉 (lā, pull), 推 (tuī, push).

The 人 radical (or variant form 亻) marks words related to people, traits, or human-related concepts. Examples: 你 (nǐ, you), 他 (tā, he), 休 (xiū, rest), 傻 (shǎ, silly).

The 口 radical typically marks words related to mouth, openings, or containers. Examples: 喝 (hē, drink), 叫 (jiào, call), 器 (qì, vessel), 口 (kǒu, mouth).

The 心 radical (or variant form 忄) marks words related to emotions, thoughts, or psychological states. Examples: 想 (xiǎng, think), 快 (kuài, happy), 怕 (pà, fear), 忙 (máng, busy).

The 火 radical (or variant form 灬) marks words related to fire, heat, or light. Examples: 烧 (shāo, burn), 照 (zhào, illuminate), 热 (rè, hot), 灯 (dēng, lamp).

The 水 radical (or its variant form 氵) typically marks words related to water, liquids, or moisture. Examples: 河 (hé, river), 湖 (hú, lake), 泪 (lèi, tear), 海 (hǎi, sea).

The 木 radical typically indicates words related to wood, trees, or objects made from wood. Examples: 树 (shù, tree), 林 (lín, forest), 桌 (zhuō, table), 椅 (yǐ, chair).

Characters with 目 typically relate to eyes, vision, or observation. Examples: 看 (kàn, look), 眼 (yǎn, eye), 睛 (jīng, eyeball), 盲 (máng, blind). The shape 目 is a pictograph of an eye turned upright.

Characters with 走 (or variant 辶) typically relate to moving, walking, or changing position. Examples: 走 (zǒu, walk), 道 (dào, road), 过 (guò, pass), 远 (yuǎn, far). The shape suggests a figure in motion.

Characters with 金 (or variant 钅) typically relate to metals, gold, silver, or metal objects. Examples: 钱 (qián, money), 钉 (dīng, nail), 铁 (tiě, iron), 银 (yín, silver). 金 can also evoke 'precious' or 'durable' meanings.

Characters with 女 typically relate to women, the female, or feminine qualities. Examples: 妈 (mā, mother), 姐 (jiě, elder sister), 妹 (mèi, younger sister), 好 (hǎo, good). This radical carries cultural and etymological weight.

Characters with 足 (or its side form ⻊) typically relate to feet, walking, or motion. Examples: 跑 (pǎo, run), 跳 (tiào, jump), 踩 (cǎi, step on), 踢 (tī, kick). The standalone word 足够 (zúgòu) also means 'enough.'

Characters with 手 or 扌 typically involve hands or what you do with them. Examples: 拿 (ná, grab), 打 (dǎ, hit), 推 (tuī, push), 摔 (shuāi, throw). Think of hand movements when you see this radical.

Characters with 人 or 亻 commonly relate to people or what humans do. Examples: 他 (tā, he), 你 (nǐ, you), 休 (xiū, rest), 做 (zuò, do). This is a fundamental and very common radical.

Characters with 口 typically link to the mouth, speaking, eating, or sound. Examples: 吃 (chī, eat), 喝 (hē, drink), 叫 (jiào, call), 唱 (chàng, sing). The shape 口 resembles a mouth.

Characters with 火 (or variant 灬) typically describe fire, heat, or energy. Examples: 燃 (rán, burn), 热 (rè, hot), 炒 (chǎo, stir-fry), 灯 (dēng, lamp). Watch for this radical when learning fire-related words.

Characters with 心 (or its variant 忄) almost always relate to feelings, psychology, or mind. Examples: 想 (xiǎng, want), 忧 (yōu, worry), 怕 (pà, fear), 思 (sī, think). 心 originally means 'heart.'

Characters with 木 typically relate to trees, wood, or wooden items. Examples: 树 (shù, tree), 林 (lín, forest), 板 (bǎn, board), 桌 (zhuō, table). One of the easiest radicals to remember.

Any character containing 水 relates to water, liquids, or moisture. Examples: 河 (hé, river), 海 (hǎi, sea), 汗 (hàn, sweat), 泪 (lèi, tear). Learning this radical helps you guess new word meanings.

The radical 米 (mǐ = rice) marks words about grain, rice, and food: 粉 (fěn = flour), 粒 (lì = grain), 粮 (liáng = grain supply), 糖 (táng = sugar).

The radical 足 (zú = foot) marks words about feet or walking actions: 跑 (pǎo = run), 跳 (tiào = jump), 路 (lù = road), 踢 (tī = kick).

The radical 金 (jīn = metal) or its variant 钅 (on the left) marks words about metals or money: 钱 (qián = money), 银 (yín = silver), 铁 (tiě = iron), 钟 (zhōng = bell).

The radical 日 (rì = sun/day) is used in words about time or daylight: 早 (zǎo = early), 晚 (wǎn = late), 明 (míng = bright), 时 (shí = time).

The radical 女 (nǚ = woman) marks words related to women or feminine qualities: 妈 (mā = mother), 妹 (mèi = younger sister), 好 (hǎo = good), 姐 (jiě = older sister).

The radical 人 (rén = person) or its variant 亻 (on the left) marks words about people or character: 他 (tā = he), 你 (nǐ = you), 休 (xiū = rest), 仁 (rén = benevolence).

The radical 手 (shǒu = hand) or its variant 扌 (on the left) marks verbs about hand actions: 打 (dǎ = hit), 拿 (ná = hold), 推 (tuī = push), 拉 (lā = pull).

The radical 口 (kǒu = mouth) appears in words about speaking, eating, or sound: 叫 (jiào = call), 吃 (chī = eat), 歌 (gē = song), 问 (wèn = ask).

The radical 心 (xīn = heart/mind) or its variant 忄 (on the left) marks words about emotion, character, or spirit: 想 (xiǎng = want), 快 (kuài = happy), 忙 (máng = busy).

The radical 火 (huǒ = fire) often shows as 灬 (four dots at the bottom). Find it in words about fire, heat, or energy: 热 (rè = hot), 烧 (shāo = burn), 灯 (dēng = lamp).

The radical 水 (shuǐ = water) often appears as 氵 (a variant on the left). It marks words about water or liquids: 河 (hé = river), 海 (hǎi = sea), 泪 (lèi = tear).

The radical 木 (mù = wood) appears in characters related to wood, trees, or wooden objects. Examples: 树 (shù = tree), 林 (lín = forest), 椅 (yǐ = chair), 桌 (zhuō = table).