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Radicals

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 kanji 2丨line2 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 3丶dot4 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 4丿slash3 jōyō kanji10 other kanji 5乙乚⺄second7 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 6亅hook4 jōyō kanji2 other kanji

2 strokes

7二two5 jōyō kanji7 other kanji 8亠lid5 jōyō kanji10 other kanji 9人亻person102 jōyō kanji120 other kanji 10儿legs10 jōyō kanji10 other kanji 11入enter2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 12八丷eight8 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 13冂wide5 jōyō kanji9 other kanji 14冖cloth cover4 jōyō kanji8 other kanji 15冫⺀ice7 jōyō kanji15 other kanji 16几table2 jōyō kanji7 other kanji 17凵open box4 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 18刀刂knife32 jōyō kanji31 other kanji 19力power23 jōyō kanji16 other kanji 20勺勹wrap3 jōyō kanji10 other kanji 21匕spoon2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 22匚box1 jōyō kanji8 other kanji 23匸hiding enclosure4 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 24十ten12 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 25卜divination1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 26卩㔾seal6 jōyō kanji6 other kanji 27厂cliff5 jōyō kanji10 other kanji 28厶private2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 29又again10 jōyō kanji5 other kanji

3 strokes

30口mouth71 jōyō kanji155 other kanji 31囗enclosure12 jōyō kanji15 other kanji 32土earth50 jōyō kanji78 other kanji 33士scholar5 jōyō kanji8 other kanji 34夂go1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 35夊go slowly1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 36夕evening5 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 37大big16 jōyō kanji18 other kanji 38女woman36 jōyō kanji65 other kanji 39子child9 jōyō kanji14 other kanji 40宀roof36 jōyō kanji27 other kanji 41寸inch12 jōyō kanji5 other kanji 42小⺌small3 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 43尢lame1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 44尸corpse15 jōyō kanji13 other kanji 45屮sprout1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 46山mountain16 jōyō kanji65 other kanji 47巛川⺍river4 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 48工work5 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 49己self2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji 50巾cloth17 jōyō kanji20 other kanji 51干dry5 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 52幺young4 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 53广dotted cliff17 jōyō kanji28 other kanji 54廴long stride3 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 55廾two hands3 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 56弋shoot2 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 57弓bow11 jōyō kanji14 other kanji 58彐彑⺕snout2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji 59彡bristle5 jōyō kanji5 other kanji 60彳step19 jōyō kanji17 other kanji

4 strokes

61心忄㣺⺗heart76 jōyō kanji143 other kanji 62戈halberd7 jōyō kanji19 other kanji 63戸door6 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 64手扌hand95 jōyō kanji141 other kanji 65支branch1 jōyō kanji 66攴攵rap16 jōyō kanji17 other kanji 67文script4 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 68斗dipper3 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 69斤axe5 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 70方square6 jōyō kanji10 other kanji 71无旡not1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 72日sun38 jōyō kanji51 other kanji 73曰say7 jōyō kanji7 other kanji 74月moon8 jōyō kanji7 other kanji 75木tree85 jōyō kanji271 other kanji 76欠lack8 jōyō kanji15 other kanji 77止stop7 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 78歹death5 jōyō kanji16 other kanji 79殳weapon6 jōyō kanji5 other kanji 80毋do not3 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 81比compare1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 82毛fur1 jōyō kanji6 other kanji 83氏clan2 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 84气steam1 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 85水氵氺water118 jōyō kanji215 other kanji 86火灬fire26 jōyō kanji68 other kanji 87爪爫⺤claw2 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 88父father1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 89爻double x1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 90爿half tree3 other kanji 91片slice2 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 92牙fang1 jōyō kanji 93牛牜cow6 jōyō kanji15 other kanji 94犬犭⺨dog17 jōyō kanji42 other kanji

5 strokes

95玄dark2 jōyō kanji 96玉王jade15 jōyō kanji48 other kanji 97瓜melon4 other kanji 98瓦tile2 jōyō kanji17 other kanji 99甘sweet2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 100生life2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 101用use1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 102田field19 jōyō kanji28 other kanji 103疋bolt2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 104疒sickness15 jōyō kanji56 other kanji 105癶dotted tent2 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 106白white5 jōyō kanji10 other kanji 107皮skin1 jōyō kanji6 other kanji 108皿dish8 jōyō kanji12 other kanji 109目eye20 jōyō kanji38 other kanji 110矛spear1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 111矢arrow4 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 112石stone16 jōyō kanji52 other kanji 113示礻spirit15 jōyō kanji28 other kanji 114禸track5 other kanji 115禾grain23 jōyō kanji36 other kanji 116穴cave10 jōyō kanji21 other kanji 117立stand6 jōyō kanji17 other kanji

6 strokes

118竹⺮bamboo25 jōyō kanji96 other kanji 119米rice10 jōyō kanji38 other kanji 120糸糹silk63 jōyō kanji112 other kanji 121缶jar1 jōyō kanji7 other kanji 122网罒net7 jōyō kanji19 other kanji 123羊⺷sheep6 jōyō kanji11 other kanji 124羽feather6 jōyō kanji14 other kanji 125老耂old3 jōyō kanji4 other kanji 126而and1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 127耒plow2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji 128耳ear5 jōyō kanji21 other kanji 129聿brush1 jōyō kanji5 other kanji 130肉⺼meat44 jōyō kanji70 other kanji 131臣minister2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 132自self2 jōyō kanji 133至arrive2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 134臼𦥑mortar2 jōyō kanji8 other kanji 135舌tongue1 jōyō kanji5 other kanji 136舛oppose1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 137舟boat8 jōyō kanji17 other kanji 138艮stopping1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 139色color2 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 140艸艹grass46 jōyō kanji234 other kanji 141虍tiger5 jōyō kanji5 other kanji 142虫insect10 jōyō kanji108 other kanji 143血blood2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 144行walk6 jōyō kanji5 other kanji 145衣衤clothes21 jōyō kanji66 other kanji 146襾覀cover4 jōyō kanji4 other kanji

7 strokes

8 strokes

167金釒gold33 jōyō kanji121 other kanji 168長long1 jōyō kanji 169門gate11 jōyō kanji29 other kanji 170阜阝⻖mound31 jōyō kanji32 other kanji 171隶slave1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 172隹short bird9 jōyō kanji13 other kanji 173雨⻗rain13 jōyō kanji26 other kanji 174青blue2 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 175非wrong1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji

9 strokes

176面face1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji 177革leather2 jōyō kanji27 other kanji 178韋tanned leather1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 179韭leek3 other kanji 180音sound3 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 181頁leaf22 jōyō kanji22 other kanji 182風wind1 jōyō kanji7 other kanji 183飛fly1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 184食飠⻞eat12 jōyō kanji31 other kanji 185首head1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 186香fragrant1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji

10 strokes

187馬horse11 jōyō kanji44 other kanji 188骨bone3 jōyō kanji8 other kanji 189高tall1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 190髟hair1 jōyō kanji18 other kanji 191鬥fight6 other kanji 192鬯herbs1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 193鬲cauldron2 other kanji 194鬼ghost4 jōyō kanji8 other kanji

11 strokes

195魚fish3 jōyō kanji70 other kanji 196鳥bird4 jōyō kanji73 other kanji 197鹵salt4 other kanji 198鹿deer3 jōyō kanji9 other kanji 199麥麦wheat2 jōyō kanji6 other kanji 200麻hemp1 jōyō kanji3 other kanji

12 strokes

201黃黄yellow1 jōyō kanji2 other kanji 202黍millet4 other kanji 203黑黒black2 jōyō kanji14 other kanji 204黹embroidery3 other kanji

13 strokes

205黽frog3 other kanji 206鼎tripod1 other kanji 207鼓drum1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 208鼠rat3 other kanji

14 strokes

209鼻nose1 jōyō kanji1 other kanji 210齊even4 other kanji

15 strokes

211齒歯tooth1 jōyō kanji13 other kanji

16 strokes

212龍dragon2 other kanji 213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.