What are radicals?
Take a look at the following Mandarin characters:
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 蝉丑ù - tree
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 辩颈á辞 - bridge
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 濒í苍 - forest
They all contain the component ‘木’.
There is a set group of recurring components of characters, like 木, which are called radicals.
Mandarin radicals with Burt Bessington
Fairy: Oooh hello boys and girls.
Now has anyone seen my wand?
I know I left it around here somewhere!
Burt: Hi and welcome to Words of the World with me your host Burt Bessington!
Fairy: Huh? What's going on?
Burt: Most Chinese characters have two parts one of which is called the radical.
The radical meaning wood is used in these characters.
The radical can give you a clue to a character meaning.
All these words, tree, bridge and forest, can be related to wood.
Fairy: Ur… If I can't find my magic wand how will I say my magic spell?
Burt: On to the quiz!
Try to identify the radical and from the meaning of the words guess what it means!
Fairy: Is this the radical?
Burt: Yes! But what does it mean?
Here, let me give you a clue.
Fairy: Is it hand?
Burt: Correct! The hand radical is used in the characters for touch, push and pull.
They are all things you do with your hand!
Now try these!
Correct! But what does it mean?
Fairy: Ooh, is it mouth? Oh no it isn't.
Burt: Oh yes it is!
The mouth radical is used in the characters for blow, eat and drink.
Did you know there are 214 different radicals and they are used to group the characters in Mandarin dictionaries?
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What are radicals used for?
Radicals are used to group Mandarin characters in Chinese dictionaries, but they can also sometimes help you to guess the meaning of those characters.
The examples of ‘tree’, ‘bridge’ and ‘forest’ can all be related to wood (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 尘ù) in some way.
Here are some other examples where the radical can hint towards the meaning of the character:
| Radical | Mandarin Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| 女 (female) | Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. mèi mei | younger sister |
| 口 (mouth) | Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 肠丑ī | eat |
| 月 (related to body parts) | Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. dù zi | stomach |
| 衤 (clothes) | Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. qún zi | skirt |
| 宀 (roof) | Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 箩颈ā | home |
| 犭 (animal) | Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 驳ǒ耻 | dog |
| 氵 (water) | Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 丑ǎ颈 | sea |
How do you spot the radical in characters?
There are more than 200 radicals in total, but each Mandarin character only has one radical.
The radical may appear anywhere in a character but it is most commonly found on the left, and also at the top or the bottom.
Once you get to know the most frequent radicals, you will spot them very easily.
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