Chinese radicals flashcards: an 11-card starter deck

This free deck covers 11 core radicals: 火 水 木 土 山 耳 足 口 手 人 心. Use the cards below in your browser or print them, and practice recall in more than one direction so the shapes stick.

Practice the deck here

Flip each card, try to answer before revealing, and use the printable sheet if you prefer paper. No download is needed for this small sample.

The 11 cards

Remember that the example characters keep their own readings. 河 is hé, not shuǐ; the radical gives a meaning hint only.

Three recall directions

Recognizing a shape is easier than producing it, so rotate through these:

1. Shape to meaning: see 扌, say "hand." Add the pinyin of the full form, shǒu, if you want the extra step.
2. Meaning to shape: read "water" and write both 水 and 氵 from memory.
3. Example to component: see 跑 and name the component on the left (⻊, foot).

For a first pass, focus on recognizing the shape. Add pinyin and tone as you review. When you learn an example word, practice that word's pronunciation too.

An example review schedule

This is one simple pattern, not a scientific formula. Adjust it to your week.

• Day 1: learn all 11 cards, shape to meaning.
• Day 2: review all 11; set aside any you missed.
• Day 4: meaning to shape, writing variants too.
• Day 7: example to component, then take the starter quiz.
• Day 14: a full mixed review in all three directions.

Cards you miss go back into the next day's set until you get them right twice in a row.

Check yourself

Without looking at the table, write the full form for each variant: 灬 氵 ⻊ 扌 亻 忄.

Where these 11 come from

These are the same 11 radicals currently playable in Chinese Radical Realms, the story game at chineseradicals.com. Its first region covers 火 水 木 土 山, and a second, subscription region adds 耳 足 口 手 人 心. The deck works well alongside the game or on its own. For deeper notes on single radicals, see the guides to water and heart.