Kangxi 214 radical lookup (~85 most-used selected). Browse by stroke count. Each radical with pinyin, meaning, sample characters. Essential for Chinese learning + classical dictionary lookup.
Kangxi Radical Lookup (214 部首查询)
How to use
Search any way
By the radical itself (木), by pinyin (mu), or by English meaning (water) — all work.
Browse by strokes
The full list below is grouped by 1-9 stroke counts. Knowing the stroke count of a radical aids memorisation.
Radicals = dictionary soul
Kangxi's 214 radicals (1716) are the organisational basis of every Chinese dictionary worldwide. The tool covers the ~85 most-used.
Essential for Chinese learners
Knowing radicals lets you guess the meaning of unknown characters (氵=water-related, 扌=hand-related, 讠=speech-related, 艹=plant-related).
The 214 radicals — the organisational code of Chinese characters
Radicals (部首 bùshǒu) are the component elements + dictionary index of Chinese. Every character belongs to one radical. The 214-radical system from the Kangxi Dictionary (1716) is the organisational backbone of every Chinese dictionary worldwide.
What radicals reveal
Radicals often hint at meaning: 氵 (water radical) → 江 河 海 湖 洋 液 (all water-related). 扌 (hand radical) → 打 抓 拿 握 抢 (all hand actions). 艹 (grass radical) → 花 草 树 木 茶 (all plant-related). 讠 (speech radical) → 说 话 讨 论 评 议 (all speech-related). This is one of Chinese learning\'s "cheat codes" — knowing radicals dramatically speeds up character recognition.
"Encounter an unknown character → identify the radical → infer the rough meaning. E.g. 「淼」 (three waters stacked) = vast waters; 「轰」 (three carts) = the rumbling sound of vehicles."
Simplified vs Traditional
Mainland simplification changed some radical forms: 讠 (simp.) = 訁 (trad.) for the speech radical. 钅 / 釒, 饣 / 飠 similarly. But the logic of the system is unchanged.
Stroke ordering
The 214 radicals are ordered by stroke count, simplest to most complex: 6 at 1 stroke, 23 at 2 strokes, 31 at 3... up to 17 strokes (the rare 龠 "ancient flute"). This tool\'s browse-by-stroke view follows the same order — easy on the eyes, easy to learn.
10 facts about radicals
The Kangxi Dictionary (1716) defined 214 radicals — the system in use for 300+ years and still the basis of every Chinese dictionary today.
口 (mouth radical, 3 strokes) is one of the most-used radicals — thousands of characters belong to it.
一 is the fewest-stroke radical (1 stroke), but contains a surprisingly large family: 七 三 上 下 不 世 etc.
龠 (yuè, an ancient flute) is the most complex 17-stroke radical — characters under it are rare, but it remains one of the 214.
氵 / 艹 / 扌 / 讠 are the 4 most-frequently-used side radicals — mastering these 4 dramatically speeds up character recognition.
The 1956 simplification changed some radical forms (讠 / 钅 / 饣 / 马 / 鸟 / 鱼), but the logical system stayed the same.
Simplified radicals like 门 / 鸟 / 马 / 鱼 / 龙 have 50-70% fewer strokes than their traditional counterparts.
「阝」 means two different radicals depending on position: left = 阜 (mound/hill, e.g. 阳/阴/阶); right = 邑 (city/town, e.g. 邓/那/都).
Foreign learners who master 50-80 common radicals can infer the meaning of ~80% of modern characters.
SG + MY simplified Chinese education and HK + TW traditional education share the same 214-radical system — fully cross-regional.
Frequently Asked Questions
A radical is both a character component and a dictionary index. Every Chinese character is filed under exactly one.
214 total (per Kangxi Dictionary) — the universal Chinese dictionary standard. This tool covers the ~85 most-used.
Yes. 氵 = water, 扌 = hand, 艹 = plant, 讠 = speech, 钅 = metal. Radical-based meaning inference works 60-80% of the time.
Some forms differ (讠 / 訁, 钅 / 釒, 饣 / 飠, 马 / 馬, 鸟 / 鳥), but the logical system is identical.
Meaning depends on position: written on the left = 阜 (mound/hill — 阳/阴/阶/院); on the right = 邑 (city/town — 邓/那/都/邻). Same shape, different radicals.
50-80 common radicals covers ~80% of modern characters. This tool's ~85 sits right at that sweet spot.
A monumental character dictionary commissioned by the Kangxi Emperor (completed 1716, 49,030 characters). Its 214-radical organisational framework remains in use to this day.
Overlapping but not identical. Components (偏旁) = any constituent part of a character. Radical (部首) = the specific component used for dictionary indexing. Each character has ONE radical but may have multiple components.
Kangxi Dictionary radical list (public domain) + Modern Chinese Dictionary (7th ed.).
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