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
Radical 目 (mù): eye, sight, and vision
Radical 走 (zǒu): movement, motion, and progression
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, eating, and nutrition
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, money, and precious things
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, feminine, and related concepts
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, soil, and solid matter
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, heat, and light
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, speech, and openings
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, and wooden objects
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, emotion, and mind
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 (shuǐ): water, liquids, and flowing motion
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 (rén): person and human-related meanings
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).
Radical 彳 (chì), Walking, going, and movement
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.
Radical 金 (jīn), Metal, money, and gold
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.
Radical 日 (rì), Sun, day, and time
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.
Radical 女 (nǚ), Woman, female, and feminine qualities
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.
Radical 手 (shǒu), Hand, grasping, and hand actions
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.
Radical 口 (kǒu): mouth, speech, and openings
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.
Radical 人 (rén): people, actions, and character
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.
Radical 土 (tǔ), Earth, soil, and ground
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.
Radical 木 (mù): trees, wood, and wooden items
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).
Radical 火 (huǒ): fire, light, and heat
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.
Radical 水 (shuǐ): water and liquids
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.
Radical 心 (xīn), Heart, emotions, and mind
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.
Radical 金 (jīn): metal, gold, money, and hard objects
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).
Radical 日 (rì): sun, day, and time
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).
Radical 足 (zú): foot, feet, and movement
The 足 radical marks words related to feet or movement. Examples: 跑 (pǎo, run), 跳 (tiào, jump), 路 (lù, road).
Radical 衣 (yī): clothing and coverings
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).
Radical 食 (shí): food, eating, and drink
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).
Radical 手 (shǒu): hand and manual actions
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).