Chinese Character Components

shuǐ · water

A side form of 水 used in characters related to water, liquid, washing, rivers, and flow.

xīn · heart; feeling

A side form of 心 that often marks emotion, thought, mood, and mental state.

shǒu · hand; action

A side form of 手 used in characters involving hand actions, handling, pushing, pulling, or taking.

yán · speech

A simplified side form of 言 used in characters related to speaking, language, requests, and explanation.

cǎo · grass; plants

A top component often used in characters related to plants, flowers, herbs, and vegetation.

mián · roof; home

A top component associated with houses, rooms, shelter, family, or things kept under a roof.

rì · sun; day

A box-shaped sun component used in characters about days, time, brightness, and weather.

yuè · moon; month; body

A component that can point to the moon, months, or body parts depending on the character history.

kǒu · mouth

A square mouth component used in characters related to speaking, sounds, eating, and openings.

nǚ · woman; female

A component used in characters about women, family roles, names, and some historical social meanings.

zǐ · child; seed

A component associated with children, small things, learning, and family-related words.

mù · wood; tree

A tree and wood component used in characters for plants, materials, furniture, and wooden objects.

huǒ · fire

A fire component used in characters about heat, burning, cooking, light, and energy.

tǔ · earth; soil

An earth component used in characters about ground, places, buildings, and soil.

rén · person

A side form of 人 used in characters about people, identity, actions, and relationships.

chuò · walk; movement

A movement component used in characters about walking, going, passing, returning, and distance.

fù · place; mound

A side component that often points to places, hills, cities, or boundaries.

sī · silk; thread

A simplified silk component used in characters about thread, lines, weaving, connection, and color.

qīng · blue-green; young

A common phonetic component in 请, 情, 清, 晴, 精, and other qing-sound characters.

yě · also

A compact phonetic component that appears in 他, 她, 地, 池, and related characters.

kě · can; may

A phonetic clue in characters such as 河, 何, 哥, and 课-related forms.

mǎ · horse

A visible sound clue in 妈, 吗, 码, 骂, and other ma-family characters.

fāng · square; direction

A common sound clue in 放, 房, 防, 访, and related fang-family characters.

liáng · good

A phonetic component in 浪, 粮, 娘, 狼, and related liang/lang-family characters.

jīng · capital

A phonetic component that helps connect 京, 惊, 景, 凉, 谅, and related jing/liang sound shifts.

zhǔ · main; master

A strong zhu sound clue in 住, 注, 柱, 驻, and related characters.

gōng · work

A compact sound clue in 功, 攻, 红, 江, 空, and related gong/hong/jiang shifts.

gǔ · ancient

A phonetic clue in 古, 故, 姑, 估, 固, 苦, and other gu/ku characters.

lìng · order; command

A sound clue in 冷, 领, 零, 铃, 龄, and other ling/leng characters.

bāo · wrap; package

A visible sound clue in 包, 饱, 抱, 跑, 泡, 炮, and related bao/pao characters.

pí · skin

A phonetic component in 皮, 被, 波, 破, 坡, and related pi/bo/po shifts.

bā · tail; cling

A beginner-friendly phonetic clue in 吧, 把, 爸, 爬, and related ba/pa characters.

sì · temple

A sound-family component in 诗, 持, 待, 特, 等, and related si/shi/chi/dai shifts.

xī · former times

A phonetic family visible in 惜, 借, 错, 措, and other xi/jie/cuo shifts.

gè · each

A phonetic component in 格, 客, 路, 洛, 络, and related ge/ke/lu/luo shifts.

jiāo · cross; exchange

A sound clue in 校, 较, 郊, 饺, 咬, and related jiao/xiao/yao characters.