Chinese Radicals List
Browse 233 Chinese radicals and variants organized by stroke count, including the 214 Kangxi radicals. Click any radical to find matching characters and stroke order.
1Stroke
7radicals2Strokes
30radicals3Strokes
43radicals4Strokes
49radicals5Strokes
28radicals6Strokes
29radicals7Strokes
16radicals8Strokes
11radicals9Strokes
9radicals10Strokes
2radicals11Strokes
3radicals12Strokes
3radicals13Strokes
2radicals14Strokes
1radicalWhat Are Chinese Radicals (部首)?
Chinese radicals (部首, bù shǒu) are the building blocks used to classify Chinese characters. Traditional dictionaries use 214 Kangxi radicals; this index also includes common simplified and variant components that learners see in modern characters.
Radicals serve as the primary indexing system in Chinese dictionaries. By identifying a character's radical and counting the remaining strokes, you can quickly look up any character—even if you don't know its pronunciation. This makes radicals essential for both learners and native speakers.
Why Chinese Radicals Help You Learn Characters
📖Dictionary Lookup
Find any character in a dictionary by radical and stroke count, even without knowing pronunciation.
💡Meaning Clues
Many radicals hint at a character's meaning. For example, 氵(water) appears in characters related to water or liquids.
🧠Memory Aid
Understanding radicals helps you remember characters by breaking them into meaningful components.
✍️Writing System
Radicals follow consistent stroke order rules, making it easier to write characters correctly.
How to Look Up Characters by Radical and Stroke Count
- 1Jump – Use the stroke-count buttons above to move to a radical group
- 2Browse – Scan radicals organized by stroke count (1-14 strokes)
- 3Click – Select any radical to see all characters that contain it
- 4Learn – View stroke order, meanings, and HSK levels for each character