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Radicals

In paper dictionaries

Kanji Radicals

The 214 building blocks of kanji. Pick a radical to see every jōyō kanji built from it — sorted simplest first, with the radical highlighted.

Radicals (bushu) are the recurring components every kanji is made of — learn to spot them and new kanji stop looking random. Each card shows a radical, its meaning and how many of the 2,136 jōyō kanji use it.

The full list of every jōyō kanji is in the Jōyō Kanji collection.

1 stroke

1一one16 jōyō kanji5 other kanji2丨line2 jōyō kanji3 other kanji3丶dot4 jōyō kanji1 other kanji4丿slash3 jōyō kanji10 other kanji5乙乚⺄second7 jōyō kanji3 other kanji6亅hook4 jōyō kanji2 other kanji

2 strokes

7二two5 jōyō kanji7 other kanji8亠lid5 jōyō kanji10 other kanji9人亻person102 jōyō kanji120 other kanji10儿legs10 jōyō kanji10 other kanji11入enter2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji12八丷eight8 jōyō kanji4 other kanji13冂wide5 jōyō kanji9 other kanji14冖cloth cover4 jōyō kanji8 other kanji15冫⺀ice7 jōyō kanji15 other kanji16几table2 jōyō kanji7 other kanji17凵open box4 jōyō kanji3 other kanji18刀刂knife32 jōyō kanji31 other kanji19力power23 jōyō kanji16 other kanji20勺勹wrap3 jōyō kanji10 other kanji21匕spoon2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji22匚box1 jōyō kanji8 other kanji23匸hiding enclosure4 jōyō kanji2 other kanji24十ten12 jōyō kanji4 other kanji25卜divination1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji26卩㔾seal6 jōyō kanji6 other kanji27厂cliff5 jōyō kanji10 other kanji28厶private2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji29又again10 jōyō kanji5 other kanji

3 strokes

30口mouth71 jōyō kanji155 other kanji31囗enclosure12 jōyō kanji15 other kanji32土earth50 jōyō kanji78 other kanji33士scholar5 jōyō kanji8 other kanji34夂go1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji35夊go slowly1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji36夕evening5 jōyō kanji4 other kanji37大big16 jōyō kanji18 other kanji38女woman36 jōyō kanji65 other kanji39子child9 jōyō kanji14 other kanji40宀roof36 jōyō kanji27 other kanji41寸inch12 jōyō kanji5 other kanji42小⺌small3 jōyō kanji3 other kanji43尢lame1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji44尸corpse15 jōyō kanji13 other kanji45屮sprout1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji46山mountain16 jōyō kanji65 other kanji47巛川⺍river4 jōyō kanji1 other kanji48工work5 jōyō kanji1 other kanji49己self2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji50巾cloth17 jōyō kanji20 other kanji51干dry5 jōyō kanji2 other kanji52幺young4 jōyō kanji1 other kanji53广dotted cliff17 jōyō kanji28 other kanji54廴long stride3 jōyō kanji4 other kanji55廾two hands3 jōyō kanji4 other kanji56弋shoot2 jōyō kanji4 other kanji57弓bow11 jōyō kanji14 other kanji58彐彑⺕snout2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji59彡bristle5 jōyō kanji5 other kanji60彳step19 jōyō kanji17 other kanji

4 strokes

61心忄㣺⺗heart76 jōyō kanji143 other kanji62戈halberd7 jōyō kanji19 other kanji63戸door6 jōyō kanji2 other kanji64手扌hand95 jōyō kanji141 other kanji65支branch1 jōyō kanji66攴攵rap16 jōyō kanji17 other kanji67文script4 jōyō kanji3 other kanji68斗dipper3 jōyō kanji3 other kanji69斤axe5 jōyō kanji4 other kanji70方square6 jōyō kanji10 other kanji71无旡not1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji72日sun38 jōyō kanji51 other kanji73曰say7 jōyō kanji7 other kanji74月moon8 jōyō kanji7 other kanji75木tree85 jōyō kanji271 other kanji76欠lack8 jōyō kanji15 other kanji77止stop7 jōyō kanji3 other kanji78歹death5 jōyō kanji16 other kanji79殳weapon6 jōyō kanji5 other kanji80毋do not3 jōyō kanji2 other kanji81比compare1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji82毛fur1 jōyō kanji6 other kanji83氏clan2 jōyō kanji1 other kanji84气steam1 jōyō kanji4 other kanji85水氵氺water118 jōyō kanji215 other kanji86火灬fire26 jōyō kanji68 other kanji87爪爫⺤claw2 jōyō kanji4 other kanji88父father1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji89爻double x1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji90爿half tree3 other kanji91片slice2 jōyō kanji4 other kanji92牙fang1 jōyō kanji93牛牜cow6 jōyō kanji15 other kanji94犬犭⺨dog17 jōyō kanji42 other kanji

5 strokes

95玄dark2 jōyō kanji96玉王jade15 jōyō kanji48 other kanji97瓜melon4 other kanji98瓦tile2 jōyō kanji17 other kanji99甘sweet2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji100生life2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji101用use1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji102田field19 jōyō kanji28 other kanji103疋bolt2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji104疒sickness15 jōyō kanji56 other kanji105癶dotted tent2 jōyō kanji3 other kanji106白white5 jōyō kanji10 other kanji107皮skin1 jōyō kanji6 other kanji108皿dish8 jōyō kanji12 other kanji109目eye20 jōyō kanji38 other kanji110矛spear1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji111矢arrow4 jōyō kanji4 other kanji112石stone16 jōyō kanji52 other kanji113示礻spirit15 jōyō kanji28 other kanji114禸track5 other kanji115禾grain23 jōyō kanji36 other kanji116穴cave10 jōyō kanji21 other kanji117立stand6 jōyō kanji17 other kanji

6 strokes

118竹⺮bamboo25 jōyō kanji96 other kanji119米rice10 jōyō kanji38 other kanji120糸糹silk63 jōyō kanji112 other kanji121缶jar1 jōyō kanji7 other kanji122网罒net7 jōyō kanji19 other kanji123羊⺷sheep6 jōyō kanji11 other kanji124羽feather6 jōyō kanji14 other kanji125老耂old3 jōyō kanji4 other kanji126而and1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji127耒plow2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji128耳ear5 jōyō kanji21 other kanji129聿brush1 jōyō kanji5 other kanji130肉⺼meat44 jōyō kanji70 other kanji131臣minister2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji132自self2 jōyō kanji133至arrive2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji134臼𦥑mortar2 jōyō kanji8 other kanji135舌tongue1 jōyō kanji5 other kanji136舛oppose1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji137舟boat8 jōyō kanji17 other kanji138艮stopping1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji139色color2 jōyō kanji1 other kanji140艸艹grass46 jōyō kanji234 other kanji141虍tiger5 jōyō kanji5 other kanji142虫insect10 jōyō kanji108 other kanji143血blood2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji144行walk6 jōyō kanji5 other kanji145衣衤clothes21 jōyō kanji66 other kanji146襾覀cover4 jōyō kanji4 other kanji

7 strokes

147見see7 jōyō kanji13 other kanji148角horn3 jōyō kanji6 other kanji149言訁speech68 jōyō kanji93 other kanji150谷valley1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji151豆bean2 jōyō kanji4 other kanji152豕pig3 jōyō kanji4 other kanji153豸badger1 jōyō kanji12 other kanji154貝shell35 jōyō kanji29 other kanji155赤red2 jōyō kanji3 other kanji156走run6 jōyō kanji5 other kanji157足⻊foot11 jōyō kanji54 other kanji158身body1 jōyō kanji8 other kanji159車cart15 jōyō kanji39 other kanji160辛bitter3 jōyō kanji6 other kanji161辰morning2 jōyō kanji1 other kanji162辵辶⻌walk51 jōyō kanji60 other kanji163邑阝⻏city12 jōyō kanji15 other kanji164酉wine14 jōyō kanji28 other kanji165釆distinguish2 jōyō kanji3 other kanji166里village4 jōyō kanji1 other kanji

8 strokes

167金釒gold33 jōyō kanji121 other kanji168長long1 jōyō kanji169門gate11 jōyō kanji29 other kanji170阜阝⻖mound31 jōyō kanji32 other kanji171隶slave1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji172隹short bird9 jōyō kanji13 other kanji173雨⻗rain13 jōyō kanji26 other kanji174青blue2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji175非wrong1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji

9 strokes

176面face1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji177革leather2 jōyō kanji27 other kanji178韋tanned leather1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji179韭leek3 other kanji180音sound3 jōyō kanji2 other kanji181頁leaf22 jōyō kanji22 other kanji182風wind1 jōyō kanji7 other kanji183飛fly1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji184食飠⻞eat12 jōyō kanji31 other kanji185首head1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji186香fragrant1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji

10 strokes

187馬horse11 jōyō kanji44 other kanji188骨bone3 jōyō kanji8 other kanji189高tall1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji190髟hair1 jōyō kanji18 other kanji191鬥fight6 other kanji192鬯herbs1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji193鬲cauldron2 other kanji194鬼ghost4 jōyō kanji8 other kanji

11 strokes

195魚fish3 jōyō kanji70 other kanji196鳥bird4 jōyō kanji73 other kanji197鹵salt4 other kanji198鹿deer3 jōyō kanji9 other kanji199麥麦wheat2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji200麻hemp1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji

12 strokes

201黃黄yellow1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji202黍millet4 other kanji203黑黒black2 jōyō kanji14 other kanji204黹embroidery3 other kanji

13 strokes

205黽frog3 other kanji206鼎tripod1 other kanji207鼓drum1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji208鼠rat3 other kanji

14 strokes

209鼻nose1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji210齊even4 other kanji

15 strokes

211齒歯tooth1 jōyō kanji13 other kanji

16 strokes

212龍dragon2 other kanji213龜turtle1 other kanji

17 strokes

214龠flute1 other kanji

Finding a kanji in a dictionary

Radicals are also how kanji are indexed in paper dictionaries. Every character is filed under exactly one classifying radical.

To look a kanji up, you first find its radical by number (1–214), then count the remaining strokes — the strokes added after the radical — and scan that small group.

This “radical + residual stroke count” method lets you find a character even when you have no idea how it is read.

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