214 Kangxi radicals reference. Browse all radicals indexed by stroke count; foundation of classical dictionary lookup.
Kangxi Radical Reference (康熙部首查询)
How to use
Browse 214 radicals
Arranged by stroke count (1-17) from least to most.
Click a radical
Auto-fills the search box and shows info.
Manual input
Type any radical character (水, 氵, 冫…) to find its stroke group.
Educational use
Radicals are a core dimension for literacy, dictionary lookup, calligraphy, name studies.
214 Kangxi Radicals: Foundation of Chinese Dictionary Lookup
The 214 radicals were standardised in the Qing dynasty《康熙字典》(Kangxi Dictionary, completed 1716) — a Hanzi indexing system where all characters are classified by their contained "radical" (base structural unit). Radicals are then ordered by stroke count. The system continues in use today, 300+ years on — a core dimension for dictionary lookup, literacy teaching, and name studies.
Variety of radicals
The 214 radicals span 1 stroke (一, 丨, 丶) to 17 strokes (龠). About 30 common ones — 氵 (water), 亻 (person), 扌 (hand), 艹 (grass) — cover 50%+ of all Hanzi.
Uses
(1) Kangxi lookup: find page by radical first, then by remaining stroke count. (2) Literacy teaching: children learn Hanzi grouped by radical. (3) Name studies: 三才五格 numerology uses stroke counts + radicals. (4) Calligraphy: radical form affects the whole character\'s aesthetic.
10 Facts about 214 Radicals
Kangxi Dictionary completed 1716, contains 47,043 characters, established the 214-radical system — one of history's largest Hanzi standardisation projects.
Most common radical: 口 (~600+ chars). Second: 氵 water (~400+).
Radicals divide into "form-side" (meaning indicators like 氵 = water) and "sound-side" (phonetic indicators like 青 = qīng). Most Hanzi are phono-semantic compounds.
In Modern Chinese Dictionary, 90% of chars are classified under the 214 radicals; remainders use a "hard-to-find chars index".
Radical-based literacy is the core of Chinese primary-school language teaching — kids start radical-grouped Hanzi learning from grade 1.
Radical vs "偏旁": radicals are dictionary-classification indices; 偏旁 refers to character-structural components. Overlapping but distinct.
Japanese Kanji + Korean Hanja share the 214-radical system — a unified East Asian Hanzi indexing standard.
214 isn't arbitrary — the Kangxi compilers considered it an "auspicious number" derived from I-Ching trigram calculations.
Modern simplification: 1956 mainland China simplification scheme reduced some radical forms (e.g. 言 → 讠), but the 214-system is retained overall.
Pairs with RT-CHN-025 (stroke count) + RT-CHN-018 (name strokes) — complete Hanzi-structure toolset.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Tool is a radical reference table — lists all 214 radicals by stroke count. For per-char radical lookup, use a professional dictionary (Modern Chinese Dictionary, Kangxi Dictionary).
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214 was selected by Kangxi compilers as an auspicious number from I-Ching tradition. Later eras retained this; no change.
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No.
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Tool lists Traditional forms (Kangxi originals). Simplified forms exist (e.g. 言→讠), but classification logic is unchanged.
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In Kangxi, each char has one main radical. Complex chars may be classified slightly differently across dictionaries.
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Stroke-count tool (RT-CHN-025) gives total strokes + visualisation. This tool (RT-CHN-026) is a radical reference for learners studying the 214-radical system.
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Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Form-side radicals (氵 = water) often reflect etymology. Sound-side radicals are less etymologically connected.
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Yes — Japanese Kanji share the 214-radical system. Tool applies.
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Grouped by stroke count, within-group in Kangxi order. E.g. 1-stroke group: 一, 丨, 丶, 丿, 乙, 亅 (Kangxi sequence).
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17-stroke 龠 (yuè, ancient flute) — complex structure, but rare as a classifying radical (only 1 char 龢).
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