Japanese Words Classified by Kanji Radicals356

In the Japanese writing system, kanji are ideograms that represent words or concepts. Kanji can be classified into different categories based on their structure and meaning. One common method of classifying kanji is by their radical, which is a component that gives clues about the meaning or pronunciation of the kanji.

There are 214 officially recognized radicals in Japanese, each with its own unique meaning. Radicals can be simple, such as a single stroke, or complex, consisting of multiple strokes. When a kanji is written, one of its components is usually the radical. By identifying the radical, learners can gain insights into the meaning and pronunciation of the kanji.

For example, the kanji for "mountain" (山) has the radical for "earth" (土) on the left-hand side. This indicates that the kanji is related to the concept of land or terrain. Similarly, the kanji for "tree" (木) has the radical for "wood" (木) on the left-hand side, indicating that it is related to plants.

Radicals can also be used to group kanji with similar meanings. For instance, kanji that have the radical for "water" (氵) are often related to water or liquids, such as the kanji for "river" (川) and "rain" (雨).

Learning the different radicals and their meanings can greatly assist in memorizing and understanding kanji. By breaking down kanji into their component parts, learners can more easily grasp the structure and logic behind the Japanese writing system.

Below is a table that lists the 214 officially recognized radicals in Japanese, along with their meanings and examples of kanji that contain them:

Radical
Meaning
Example Kanji

一
One
一, 二, 三

丨
Vertical line
丨, 亅, 木

丶
Dot
丶, 乙, 小

丿
Diagonal stroke
丿, 厂, 乃

乙
Person
乙, 八, 九

亅
Hook
亅, 卜, 曲

二
Two
二, 十, 土

亠
Roof
亠, 人, 仁

人
Person
人, 入, 八

儿
Child
儿, 元, 仔

入
Enter
入, 人, 八

八
Eight
八, 公, 六

冂
Enclosure
冂, 回, 国

冖
Cover
冖, 巾, 箱

冫
Ice
冫, 永, 冷

几
Table
几, 机, 案

凵
Square
凵, 宅, 函

刀
Knife
刀, 刃, 切

力
Strength
力, 加, 功

勹
Hand
勹, 挟, 持

匕
Spoon
匕, 匙, حت

匚
Box
匚, 戸, 房

匸
Enclosure
匸, 区, 区

十
Ten
十, 千, 午

卜
Divination
卜, 占, 卦

卩
Kneeling person
卩, 召, 旬

厂
Building
厂, 由, 厄

厶
Private
厶, 已, 巳

又
Hand
又, 友, 反

口
Mouth
口, 品, 告

囗
Enclosure
囗, 国, 画

土
Earth
土, 地, 市

士
Scholar
士, 仕, 壬

夂
Walking
夂, 歩, 进

夊
Walking
夊, 退, 足

夕
Evening
夕, 外, 多

大
Big
大, 太, 天

女
Woman
女, 子, 奴

子
Child
子, 孑, 孔

宀
Roof
宀, 宅, 安

寸
Inch
寸, 寺, 寸

小
Small
小, 少, 幼

尢
Limping
尢, 拐, 尒

尸
Body
尸, 死, 屠

屮
Sprout
屮, 草, 屯

山
Mountain
山, 岳, 岗

巛
Cliff
巛, 危, 嶬

工
Work
工, 作, 建

己
Self
己, 已, 巴

巾
Cloth
巾, 糸, 紐

干
Dry
干, 刊, 卓

幺
Small
幺, 幼, 广

广
Wide
广, 序, 店

廴
Walking
廴, 迂, 巡

廾
Two hands
廾, 弁, 祝

弋
Bow and arrow
弋, 羽, 羿

弓
Bow
弓, 強, 弥

彐
Pig's head
彐, 豚, 象

彡
Hair
彡, 毛, 毫

彳
Walking
彳, 走, 道

心
Heart
心, 情, 意

戈
Halberd
戈, 武, 戟

戶
Door
戶, 房, 戸

手
Hand
手, 持, 拏

支
Support
支, 柱, 易

攴
Hand
攴, 打, 批

文
Literature
文, 文, 章

斗
Dipper
斗, 斛, 料

斤
Axe
斤, 斧, 斤

方
Square
方, 坊, 匡

日
Sun
日, 明, 旦

月
Moon
月, 朋, 望

木
Tree
木, 林, 森

欠
Lack
欠, 少, 欠

止
Stop
止, 正, 此

歹
Evil
歹, 歺, 死

殳
Weapon
殳, 武, 殺

毋
Negation
毋, 无