The 48 Most Basic Japanese Kanji Radicals

31/05/2021Updated 07/04/20262 min read

Translated from the Vietnamese original. View the original.

The 48 most basic Japanese kanji radicals
The 48 most basic Japanese radicals, to make learning kanji easier for you.

The 48 most basic kanji radicals appear in 75% of Japanese KANJI. Remember these 48 and you can confidently work out the meaning of kanji. These 48 basic radicals are the first thing every learner of Japanese has to know well.

The 48 most basic Japanese radicals are for those getting to know the kanji. We hope this helps you remember and learn kanji as effectively as possible.

STT	Kanji	Sino-Vietnamese name	Meaning
1	人	Nhân	Person, with two legs, a creature that stands upright; also written as the standing form 仁.
2	口	Khẩu	Mouth (the shape of a mouth).
3	心	Tâm	Heart. Also written: 忄 or the character for small with an added stroke on the right (小丶).
4	手	Thủ	Hand. Also written: 扌, 才.
5	木	Mộc	Tree, wood (the shape of a tree with branches and roots).
6	水	Thủy	Water (the shape of flowing water). Also written: 氵.
7	糸	Mịch	A fine silk thread.
8	言	Ngôn	Speech (conversation).
9	辶	Xước	To go and stop again.
10	土	Thổ	Earth (the two-stroke 二 with the vertical 丨, like a plant growing out of the ground)
11	艹	Thảo	Grass. Also written: 丱, 艸.
12	肉	Nhục	Meat
13	女	Nữ	Woman
14	宀	Miên	Roof
15	貝	Bối	Shell (in the past shells were used as money)
16	金	Kim	Metal, gold
17	邑 (阝)	Ấp	A territory, land granted to an official
18	日	Nhật	Day, sun
19	刀	Đao	Con dao
20	火	Hỏa	Fire
21	竹	Trúc	Bamboo
22	力	Lựa	Strength
23	衤	Y	Clothing
24	亠	Head	No meaning of its own; usually the top part of other characters.
25	田	Điền	Field
26	目	Mục	Eye
27	犬	Khuyển	Dog
28	大	Đại	Big
29	山	Sơn	Mountain
30	戶	Hộ	A single-leaf door.
31	一	Nhất	One, the first of the numbers.
32	丨	Cổn	A vertical stroke running from top to bottom.
33	丶	Chủ	A dot, a single point.
34	丿	Phiệt	The left-falling stroke of a Chinese character, running from right to left.
35	亅	Quyết	A vertical stroke with a hook.
36	勹	Bao	To wrap, to bend over and hold something.
37	匕	Chủy	A spoon.
38	厶	Tư	Private
39	囗	Vi	To surround (an enclosing boundary).
40	夕	Tịch	Night, darkness
41	子	Tử	Con
42	幺	To love	Small, dainty
43	欠	Khiếm	Lacking, impolite
44	禾	Hòa	Rice plant
45	老	Nhĩ	Ear, for hearing
46	走	Tẩu	To run
47	雨	Vũ	Rain
48	米	Mễ	Rice