shuǐ氵

Water Radical (氵)

Explore 222 Chinese characters containing the Water radical (氵), with stroke order animations and meanings.

3strokes222charactersVariant of水

This radical is a variant of 水. Characters with this radical usually relate to water.

Also Study 氵 as a Component

Meaning clue

This radical can also be studied as a reusable character component. The component page focuses on learning patterns, examples, and memory clues.

Open component page

HSK Levels for Water Radical (氵) Characters

HSK 21 chars(0%)

HSK 31 chars(0%)

HSK 44 chars(2%)

HSK 512 chars(5%)

HSK 66 chars(3%)

Other198 chars

24 of 222 characters appear in HSK vocabulary lists

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+2Additional Strokes

4 characters

sandbar, beach, bank, shore

to converge, to gather together

+3Additional Strokes

10 characters

night tides, evening ebb tide

basket for catching fish

dirt, filth, stain, defilement

+5Additional Strokes

27 characters

to stop, prevent, or discourage

to boil, bubbling

oil, grease, fat

to govern, to manage, to cure

marsh, swamp, bog

["to angle for fame (idiom)","to fish for compliments"]

to moisten, to be stained with

to follow a course

to leak, to discharge, to release

swim, float, wade

to anchor a boat

to secrete, to ooze

law, rule, method, standard

to soak, bubble, or foam

to weep, to sob

mud, clay, earth

tear (from the eye)

to flow rapidly

+7Additional Strokes

27 characters

to flow, to drift, to circulate

name of a river in Zhejiang Province, China

to wash, to rinse

bank of river, shore

vast, great, many

wave, billow, unrestrained

to float, drift, or be suspended on or in a fluid

to soak, immerse, or steep

to smear, apply (paint, mud, etc.)

to disappear, eliminate, or melt away

to wade, to involve, to relate to

to gush, to surge, to well up

big waves, large billows

whirlpool, eddy

to wash, to cleanse

to moisten, to lubricate

brook, mountain stream

astringent, rough, not smooth

+8Additional Strokes

33 characters

river in Sichuan province

shore, bank, limit, boundary

to contain, to immerse

sediment, precipitate, shallow water

river in Shandong province

to mix up, to confuse

name of a river

to flow, to drip, to shed (tears)

kind and gentle

to wash or rinse in water

silt, sediment, to silt up

obscene, licentious, lewd

river in Anhui province

pure, honest, simple

to mix, to blend, to confuse

to submerge, flood, or drown

to add, increase, or append

clear, pure, distinct

deep water, abyss

ditch, sluice, gutter, drain

to seep, to permeate

ditch, canal, channel

+9Additional Strokes

25 characters

to cross (a river or body of water)

name of a river in Shanxi

add repeated washes of color

vast, distant, and indistinct

to surge, to splash

rapid water current, rapids

a bend in a river

wet, moist, damp

to burst, to overflow, to break through

to irrigate, to water

district in Anhui province

to grow, to multiply, to nourish

to stagnate, to be blocked, not flowing smoothly

+10Additional Strokes

19 characters

source, origin, spring

to overflow, to brim over

to dissolve, to melt

Yunnan province

sediment, lees, dregs

overflowing, flooding, vast expanse of water

reach a quota or limit

to filter, to strain

overflow, excessive, indiscriminate

river and county in Hebei province

shore, bank, coastal area

beach, sandbar, shoal

dripping, trickling

+11Additional Strokes

14 characters

to float, drift, or be washed away

lacquer, varnish, paint

to develop, to evolve, to perform

eddy, whirlpool

overflow, spread out, unrestrained

to rinse, to gargle

name of a river in Henan

ripple, overflow, brim over

deep and clear water

county in Shandong province

expanse of water, lake, pond

+12Additional Strokes

10 characters

to hide, to conceal, to submerge

clear, transparent

clear, transparent

splashing sound

large waves, billows

+13Additional Strokes

5 characters

river in northern china

to wash, to bathe

tranquil, calm, or indifferent

to stimulate, to arouse, or to surge

to be close to, on the verge of

+15Additional Strokes

1 character

+16Additional Strokes

1 character

vast, expansive, wide (as of water or desert)

+17Additional Strokes

1 character

to pour, to irrigate, to fill

Common Words with the Water Radical (氵)

洗手间xǐ shǒu jiān

toilets; washroom

have a shower; bath

洗衣机xǐ yī jī

washing machine; washer

pleased; satisfied

resentful

汗水hàn shuǐ

sweat

加深jiā shēn

to deepen

深入shēn rù

to penetrate deeply

深刻shēn kè

deep; profound

深厚shēn hòu

deep; profound

深度shēn dù

depth

充满chōng mǎn

be filled with; be full of

Water Radical (氵) FAQ

Common questions about the Water radical (氵) and how to use it for learning Chinese characters.

What is the Water radical (氵) in Chinese?

The Water radical (氵) is one of the 214 Kangxi radicals used to classify Chinese characters. It has 3 strokes and appears in 222 characters in our database, including 洗, 渴, 汗, 汤, 深. Characters containing this radical often relate to "water".

How many Chinese characters use the 氵 radical?

There are 222 Chinese characters that use the Water radical (氵) in our database. Of these, 24 characters are included in the HSK vocabulary lists, making them essential for Chinese learners.

How do I write the 氵 radical?

The Water radical (氵) consists of 3 strokes. It is a simplified variant of the full character 水. To practice writing characters with this radical, click on any character in the list above to see its complete stroke order animation.

How does the 氵 radical help me learn Chinese characters?

Knowing the Water radical (氵) helps in three ways: (1) Dictionary lookup — you can find characters by radical and remaining stroke count, (2) Meaning clues — characters with 氵 often relate to "water", helping you guess meanings of unfamiliar characters, (3) Memory aid — recognizing the radical as a building block makes it easier to remember and distinguish similar-looking characters.