What is a radical in a Chinese character?
A Chinese radical (Chinese: 部首; pinyin: bùshǒu; lit. ‘section header’) or indexing component is a graphical component of a Chinese character under which the character is traditionally listed in a Chinese dictionary.
How do you find Chinese radicals?
How do I find the radical of a Chinese character?
- The radical is generally on the bottom in a vertical character (such as 思 – radical is 心)
- The radical is usually on the left in a horizontal character (such as 什 – radical is 亻)
Should I learn radicals Chinese?
The Chinese word for “radical” is 部首. A better translation in English would be “section heading.” Dictionaries are arranged in sections 部, and at the head 首 of each section is the “radical/section heading” 部首. However, if you’re talking about learning character components, then yes, you should absolutely learn them.
Why learn 214 Chinese radicals?
Knowing 214 radicals will ease your process of learning Chinese. Why? Because when you know the radicals, you can remember more easily how they combine with each other to form more complex characters. Radicals can have one of the following functions, or both:
How many Chinese radicals are there in total?
How many Chinese Radicals are there in total? There are 214 radicals in the Chinese language and they can appear just about anywhere in a character. Where do Radicals normally appear in a character?
How many radicals are in the Kangxi radicals list?
There are 214 radicals in the original Kangxi radical list, but a few of them are no longer used in simplified Chinese. The list of Chinese radicals is a rough equivalent of a Chinese alphabet.
How do I learn Chinese radicals?
Knowing common radicals can help you learn new Chinese characters. To look up a character, you can click its radical. The system will navigate you to the dictionary page and display all the characters with the same radical.