Radical Trainer20 common Chinese radicals to learn first
These 20 radicals appear in many everyday characters and make a practical first set. This is a selected starter list, not the full 214 Kangxi list and not a frequency ranking.
The starter list
Each row gives the radical, its pinyin, a short meaning, common variant forms, and one example character. The table gives reference readings. When describing shapes aloud, Chinese speakers often call 艹 草字头 cǎozìtóu and 宀 宝盖头 bǎogàitóu.
| Radical | Pinyin | Meaning | Variant | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 人 | rén | person | 亻 | 休 xiū rest |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth | none common | 吃 chī eat |
| 手 | shǒu | hand | 扌 | 找 zhǎo look for |
| 心 | xīn | heart | 忄, ⺗ | 情 qíng feeling |
| 水 | shuǐ | water | 氵 | 河 hé river |
| 火 | huǒ | fire | 灬 | 炒 chǎo stir-fry |
| 木 | mù | tree, wood | narrower on the left | 树 shù tree |
| 土 | tǔ | earth, soil | narrower on the left | 地 dì ground |
| 山 | shān | mountain | none common | 岛 dǎo island |
| 女 | nǚ | woman | none common | 好 hǎo good |
| 子 | zǐ | child | none common | 字 zì written character |
| 日 | rì | sun, day | none common | 明 míng bright |
| 月 | yuè | moon, month | see note | 期 qī period of time |
| 目 | mù | eye | none common | 看 kàn look |
| 耳 | ěr | ear | none common | 聊 liáo chat |
| 足 | zú | foot | ⻊ | 跑 pǎo run |
| 艹 | cǎo | grass, plants | component form | 花 huā flower |
| 宀 | mián | roof | component form | 家 jiā home |
| 言 | yán | speech | 讠 | 说 shuō speak |
| 金 | jīn | metal, gold | 钅 | 钱 qián money |
讠 and 钅 are simplified forms. Traditional texts keep the fuller shapes, as in 說 and 錢.
A note on 月
The shape 月 does two jobs. In 期 qī it relates to the moon and time. In characters such as 脸 liǎn (face) and 肚 dù (belly), a near-identical shape comes from 肉 ròu (meat, flesh) and points to the body. Check the character's structure in a dictionary to distinguish moon from the similar-looking flesh component.
Learn them in groups
- Body and people: 人 口 手 心 目 耳 足 女 子
- Nature: 水 火 木 土 山 日 月 艹 金
- Home and speech: 宀 言
Small groups with a shared theme are easier to review than one long list. For a deeper look at feeling and thought characters, read the heart radical guide.
Common confusions
- 扌 and 才: 才 cái (only then) is a full character. Its last stroke falls to the lower left, while 扌 ends with a rising stroke.
- 氵 and 冫: three dots usually suggest water; two dots, as in 冷 lěng (cold), relate to ice.
- 亻 and 彳: 彳 chì has an extra stroke on top and appears in 很 hěn (very) and 行 xíng (to go).
- 日 and 曰: 曰 yuē (to say) is wider and flatter.
Recall drill
Cover the table. Give the meaning and full form for each variant: 钅 ⻊ 讠 忄. Then name the plant component 艹.
Show answers
- 艹: grass, plants
- 钅: metal, from 金 jīn
- ⻊: foot, from 足 zú
- 讠: speech, from 言 yán
- 忄: heart, from 心 xīn
When this list feels comfortable, try the starter quiz or return to the beginner guide for a weekly plan.