80 Basic Kanji Radicals in Japanese

31/05/2021Updated 07/04/20265 min read

Translated from the Vietnamese original. View the original.

80 basic kanji radicals in Japanese
The 80 most basic Japanese radicals, for those getting to know the kanji. We hope this helps you remember and learn kanji as effectively as possible.

The 80 most basic kanji radicals in Japanese

Stt	Kanji	Sino-Vietnamese name	Meaning
1	一	Nhất	One, the first of the numbers. Anything of which there is only one is called Nhất.
2	丨	Cổn	A vertical stroke running from top to bottom.
3	丶	Chủ	A dot, a single point.
4	丿	Phiệt	The left-falling stroke of a Chinese character, running from right to left.
5	乙	Ất	The second of the ten heavenly stems (Giáp, Ất, Bính, Đinh…).
6	亅	Quyết	A vertical stroke with a hook.
7	亠	Đầu	No meaning of its own; usually the top part of other characters.
8	人	Nhân	Person, with two legs, a creature that stands upright; also written as the standing form 仁.
9	儿	Nhân (walking)	Person, like the shape of someone walking.
10	冂	Quynh	Land far beyond the borders, like a wall enclosing a citadel.
11	冖	Mịch	A cloth draped over something, to cover, closed so it cannot be clearly seen.
12	刀	Đao	a knife. There is also the form 刂, usually standing to the right of other radicals.
13	勹	Bao	To wrap, to bend over and hold something.
14	匕	Chủy	A spoon.
15	卩	Tiết	A bamboo joint, a small detail in a thing or a phenomenon.
16	厂	Hán	A sheltered spot on a hillside that people of old chose to live in.
17	厶	Tư, Khư	Private.
18	又	Hựu	A crossed hand, to do again.
19	口	Khẩu	Mouth (the shape of a mouth). Telling the khẩu radical from the vi radical:
19	口	Khẩu	the khẩu radical is “wider at the top, narrower at the bottom”, while the vi radical is the same at top and bottom
20	囗	Vi	To surround (an enclosing boundary).
21	土	Thổ	Earth (the two-stroke 二 with the vertical 丨, like a plant growing out of the ground). It needs to be told apart from the Sỹ radical.
21	土	Thổ	in the thổ radical the lower horizontal is longer than the upper one; in sỹ it is the other way round
22	夊	Truy, Tuy	A slow gait, following behind and catching up with the one in front.
23	夕	Tịch	Night (half the character for moon — the moon just risen, its lower part not yet clearly seen).
24	大	Đại	Big (the shape of a person with arms and legs spread wide).
25	女	Nữ	Girl (like a girl with her hands folded in front of her, gathering in her robe).
26	子	Tử	Child (the shape of a newborn wrapped in swaddling, with no legs showing).
27	宀	Miên	A roof.
28	寸	Thốn	An inch, a tenth of a foot.
29	尸	Thi	A corpse, a body.
30	山	Sơn	Mountain
31	巾	Cân	A cloth (the shape of a cloth tied at the waist with both ends hanging down).
32	幺	Yêu	Tiny (the shape of a newborn child).
33	广	Nghiễm, Yểm	A roof (a house built against a hillside, the dot on top being the ridge).
34	廴	Dẫn	A long stride
35	弋	Dực ( Dặc ):	A stake, an arrow with a cord tied to it, a post for tethering animals.
36	弓	Cung	A bow for shooting arrows.
37	彳	Xích ( Sách )	A short step, a step with the left foot.
38	心	Tâm	Heart. Also written: 忄 or the character for small with an added stroke on the right (小丶).
39	戶	Hộ	A single-leaf door. (Half the character 門, a wide double door).
40	手	Thủ	Hand. Also written: 扌, 才.
41	攵	Phộc	To strike lightly, to tap. Also written 攴.
42	斗	Đấu ( Đẩu )	A measure, a unit for measuring grain. (A measure of paddy, a measure of rice).
43	日	Nhật	The sun, daytime.
44	木	Mộc	Tree, wood (the shape of a tree with branches and roots).
45	欠	Khiếm	Lacking, impolite (the mouth opening in a yawn).
46	水	Thủy	Water (the shape of flowing water). Also written: 氵.
47	火	Hỏa	Fire. Also written: 灬.
48	牛	Ngưu	Ox. Also written: 牜.
49	犬	Khuyển	Dog. Also written: 犭.
50	田	Điền	Field (the shape of a field divided by banks all round).
51	疒	Nạch	Illness (a sick person having to lie in bed).
52	示	Kì ( Thị )	The earth god, foretelling things in a wondrous way. Also written: 礻.
53	禾	Hòa	rice plant.
54	竹	Trúc	Bamboo. Other form: 竺.
55	糸	Mịch	A fine silk thread.
56	老	Lão	Old (an elderly person whose hair and beard have changed).
57	耳	Nhĩ	The ear, for hearing.
58	艹	Thảo	Grass. Also written: 丱, 艸.
59	衤	Y	Clothing. Also written: 衣. 礻.
60	言	Ngôn	Speech (conversation).
61	豕	Thỉ	A pig.
62	貝	Bối	A shell (in the past shells were used as money – a symbol of treasure). 礻.
63	走	Tẩu	To run
64	辶	Sước, Xước	To go and stop again. Also written: 辵.
65	阝	Phụ	An earthen hill, a mound. Also written: 阜.
66	門	Môn	A gate
67	阝	Ấp	A small state within a larger one, territory granted by a king to a vassal, a village. Also written: 邑
68	隹	Chuy	A general name for short-tailed birds.
69	雨	Vũ	Rain
70	頁	Hiệt	The head.
71	米	mễ	rice
72	足	túc	foot, sufficient
73	力	lực	strength
74	士	sỹ	quan
75	玉	ngọc	jade, precious stone
76	目	mục	eye
77	車	xa	a cart. Also written: (车)
78	馬	mã	horse. Also written: ( 马)
79	食	thực	to eat. Also written: ( 飠-饣)
80	虫	trùng	insects