Master 800 basic characters with mnemonics & 52 radicals.
A single horizontal stroke representing one.
我有一个哥哥。
I have one older brother.
Radicals are the building blocks of Chinese characters — like Latin roots in English. Most characters are made of 2-3 of these pieces. Learn ~50 radicals and you'll be able to decode the meaning of hundreds of unfamiliar characters at a glance.
A pictograph of a person walking — two legs striding forward. As a left-side radical it contracts to 亻 (a slimmer standing figure).
Most characters with 亻 relate to people: their roles, actions, or kinds of person.
A pictograph of a woman kneeling with her arms gracefully crossed.
Characters with 女 relate to women, family members, gentleness, and (in old usage) certain social qualities.
A pictograph of a baby in swaddling clothes — arms waving out, legs wrapped.
Indicates children, descendants, seeds, or small things. Also a frequent diminutive suffix in nouns like 桌子.
A pictograph of the heart's chambers and blood vessels. As a left-side radical it becomes 忄 (a vertical heart).
Found in emotion and thought words — anything involving feeling, thinking, or attitude.
A pictograph of a hand with five fingers. As a left-side radical it becomes 扌 — a vertical hand reaching.
Almost always means an action done with the hand: hitting, grabbing, pushing, holding.
A square — an open mouth (also doorway/opening). One of the most common radicals.
Found in characters about speaking, eating, sounds, particles, and openings.
A rectangle with two horizontal strokes inside — iris and pupil of an eye, drawn vertically.
Found in characters about seeing, watching, sleeping (closed eyes), and observation.
A pictograph of the ear with its outer ridges.
Found in characters about hearing, taking (ancient warriors took ears as trophies), and quietness.
Two meanings collapsed into one shape! 月 'moon' looks like a crescent. 肉 'flesh' simplified to the same 月 form when used as a left-side radical.
Right-side 月 = moon/time (明, 朋, 期). Left-side 月 = body parts/flesh (脸, 脚, 腿, 肚子, 背). Context tells you which.
Top is 口 (a body) over 止 (a foot/stop). The leg-and-foot combined.
Indicates actions of the foot: walking, running, kicking, stepping.
A person lying on a bed propped up under a roof — the 'sickness' radical.
Found exclusively in characters about illness, pain, and disease.
A rectangle with a line across the middle — the sun disk with its features.
Found in characters about the sun, brightness, time of day, and dates.
A central stream with splashes on both sides. As a left-side radical it becomes 氵 — three falling drops.
EXTREMELY common. Almost always means liquid: water, drink, river, ocean, washing, alcohol.
A flame with sparks on either side. At the bottom of characters it becomes 灬 — four dots representing embers/smoke.
Found in characters about fire, heat, cooking, and (with 灬) things involving fire or animal-roasting.
A plant or cross marking horizontal ground — the foundation of the earth.
Found in characters about soil, ground, places, and earthen things (cities, blocks).
A central trunk with branches reaching up and roots going down.
Found in characters about trees, wooden items, and furniture. Doubled is 林 (woods), tripled is 森 (forest).
Three peaks rising from the horizon — the central one tallest.
Found in characters about mountains, height, peaks, and elevation.
A flat sky/cloud with raindrops falling through underneath.
Found in weather characters — rain, snow, thunder, dew, fog.
A square plot divided into four sections by paths between crops.
Indicates fields, farming, grids, and (because the brain was once drawn like a field) thinking.
厂 (cliff) over 口 (a rock) — a stone fallen from a cliff.
Indicates stones, minerals, and hard things.
Two ice crystals stacked. Distinguish from 氵 (water): 冫 has only two drops, 氵 has three.
Found in cold-temperature characters.
Two stalks of grass sprouting upward — the 'grass head' that sits on top of characters.
VERY common. Nearly always means a plant, herb, flower, or vegetable.
Two stalks of bamboo with hanging leaves. The 'bamboo head'.
Indicates things made of bamboo: writing implements (pens were brushes), instruments, baskets, counting.
A single grain of rice with its husk strands sticking out in four directions.
Found in characters about grains, powder, and rice-based foods.
A grain stalk drooping over from a heavy head of grain at the top — picture wheat or rice ready for harvest.
Indicates cereal crops and harvest-related concepts (autumn, peace through full bellies).
A dog on its hind legs. As a left-side radical it becomes 犭 — the 'beast' radical.
Found in characters about dogs and other four-legged animals.
A pictograph of a bird in profile — head with eye (the dot), body, tail.
Found in names of birds.
A pictograph of a coiled worm or insect.
Found in characters about insects, reptiles, sea creatures (anything cold-blooded or creepy-crawly).
A cow's head seen straight-on: horns and ears at the top, face below.
Found in characters about cattle and (because oxen were key to property) sometimes things/objects.
A sheep's face from the front: two curved horns on top, then the face.
Sheep symbolized good things in ancient China. Found in characters about sheep and goodness/beauty.
A simplified horse: mane on top, body, four legs (now one sweep) at the bottom.
Found in characters about horses, and as a phonetic in many words (because 'mǎ' is a common sound).
Originally 言 — a mouth with sound waves coming out. As a left-side radical it contracts to 讠.
VERY common. Almost always means an act involving speech or written words.
Top is 目 (eye), bottom is 儿 (legs) — an eye walking around to see.
Found in characters about seeing and visual recognition.
A pictograph of a powerful flexed arm.
Indicates force, effort, ability, and exertion.
A pictograph of a right hand with three fingers showing.
An older 'hand' radical (different from 扌). Appears in characters about grasping, hand-actions, and repetition.
刀 is a knife with a handle. On the right side of characters it becomes 刂 — a vertical blade.
Found in characters about cutting, separating, and decisive actions.
A hand holding a stick — the 'rap with a stick' radical, often used for forceful action.
Found in characters about correction, discipline, action with force, and 'making something happen'.
示 is an altar with offerings hanging from it. As a left-side radical it becomes 礻 — looks like 衤(clothing) but with only ONE dot on the bottom right.
Found in characters about gods, spirits, religion, ritual, and blessings.
金 is a roof over 王 (precious things). As a left-side radical it becomes 钅 — a slim 'metal' marker.
Indicates metals, metal tools, coins, and modern technology made of metal.
A stylized cowrie shell — the earliest form of currency in China.
Found in characters about money, wealth, value, buying, and selling.
Twisted strands of silk thread — a coiled bundle.
Indicates silk, thread, fabric, and (by extension) connection, lineage, and continuity.
衣 is a robe with sleeves. As a left-side radical it becomes 衤. Distinguish from 礻 (altar): 衤 has TWO dots at the bottom of the right side, 礻 has ONE.
Found in characters about clothing and fabric.
食 is a lidded jar of food. As a left-side radical it becomes 饣 — a vertical food container.
Found in characters about eating, food preparation, and hunger/fullness.
玉 has a dot showing it's distinct jade; 王 (no dot) means 'king'. As a radical, they share the same form 王.
Found in characters about jade, gems, and (since jade represented royalty) precious round objects like balls and beads.
A roof with a vertical post — sometimes called the 'roof radical' or 'baby roof' (because of its small house shape).
Found in characters about buildings, family, and being indoors/safe.
A cliff face — a horizontal stroke with a vertical face dropping down.
Found in characters about cliffs, factories, and structures built against a wall.
A swinging double-leaf gate viewed from the front. The single-leaf version 户 is a different radical.
Indicates doors, gates, and being inside/between.
Half of a 门 — a single-leaf door, like the door of a hut.
Found in characters about doors, households, and a few related concepts (writing brush, protection).
TWO different radicals collapsed to the same shape! 阝 on the LEFT side = 阜 (hill/mound). 阝 on the RIGHT side = 邑 (city/region).
Left 阝 = terrain/elevation (hills, descent, shade). Right 阝 = places/regions/cities.
Three dots above + a foot/path stroke — a foot moving along a road. Always wraps around the bottom-left of a character.
EXTREMELY common. Indicates movement, going somewhere, walking, or paths.
Top is a person leaning forward, bottom is 止 (a foot) — striding forward at speed.
Distinct from 辶 — 走 indicates more deliberate or fast motion (running, getting up).
A top-down pictograph of a chariot: two wheels (horizontal lines), an axle, and a yoke.
Found in characters about vehicles, transport, and (since chariots were heavy) weight/lightness.