Chinese Radicals for Kids: 30 Picture Puzzles (Ages 7–10)

By the end you can

• Know that a radical is a clue to a character's meaning. 休 is a person leaning on a tree: someone taking a rest. Children learn to look at the left side first, where the radical often sits.
  休息 · xiūxi · to rest
• Find the people and body radicals. 亻, 女 and 子 for people, then 口, 目 and 扌 for mouth, eye and hand. 看 (look) is a hand over an eye, shading it to see far away.
  看书 · kàn shū · to read a book
• Spot radicals that change shape. 心 (heart) stands up tall as 忄, 足 (foot) gets thin as ⻊, and 火 (fire) turns into four dots, 灬, at the bottom of a character.
  我不怕。 · Wǒ bú pà. · I'm not scared.
• Read water, weather and sky words. Count the dots: 氵 has three and means water, 冫 has two and means ice. Put 日 and 月 together for 明 (bright), and learn why 月 in 脸 and 腿 means a body part.
  我去洗手。 · Wǒ qù xǐ shǒu. · I'm going to wash my hands.
• Guess animals, plants and bugs from their radicals. 犭, 鸟 and 鱼 for furry, feathered and swimming animals, 木, 艹 and ⺮ for plants, and 虫 for creepy-crawlies. Plus why 鲸 (whale) has the fish radical.
  我喜欢小猫。 · Wǒ xǐhuan xiǎo māo. · I like kittens.
• Spot the clue in home, clothes and food words. 宀 roof, 门 door, 衤 clothes (two dots, while 礻 has one), 饣 food, 米 rice and 纟 silk thread, the radical in colour words like 红 and 绿.
  我喜欢红色。 · Wǒ xǐhuan hóngsè. · I like red.
• Be a radical detective with characters they have never seen. The quiz gives new characters like 鹰, 烫 and 眨: find the radical, then pick the meaning. Thirty cut-out radical cards turn it into memory and snap games.
  这是三点水。 · Zhè shì sān diǎn shuǐ. · This is the water radical.

What’s inside

• Puzzle set 1: Meet: People Radicals · Puzzle: Find the People Radicals
• Puzzle set 2: Meet: Mouth, Eye and Hand · Puzzle: Find Mouth, Eye and Hand
• Puzzle set 3: Meet: Feet, Heart and Words · Puzzle: Find Feet, Heart and Words
• Puzzle set 4: Meet: Water, Fire and Rain · Puzzle: Find Water, Fire and Rain
• Puzzle set 5: Meet: Sun, Moon and Mountain · Puzzle: Find Sun, Moon and Mountain
• Puzzle set 6: Meet: Tree, Grass and Bamboo · Puzzle: Find Tree, Grass and Bamboo
• Puzzle set 7: Meet: Animals, Birds and Fish · Puzzle: Find the Animal Radicals
• Puzzle set 8: Meet: Bugs, Earth and Metal · Puzzle: Find Bugs, Earth and Metal
• Puzzle set 9: Meet: Roof, Door and Clothes · Puzzle: Find Roof, Door and Clothes
• Puzzle set 10: Meet: Food, Rice and Thread · Puzzle: Find Food, Rice and Thread
• Radical cards: Radical Cards 1 to 8 · Radical Cards 9 to 16 · Radical Cards 17 to 23 · Radical Cards 24 to 30
• Radical quiz: Be a Radical Detective

How to use this book

Ten puzzle sets of three radicals, each a Meet page and a Puzzle page. Keep sessions to about 10 minutes: one day the Meet page, the next the Puzzle page and its Say task. At five sessions a week, that's about four weeks.

1. Week 1: People and the body. Sets 1 and 2. Trace each radical with a finger, then hunt for it on the Puzzle page. Point at a family photo together and say 这是我妈妈。
2. Week 2: Feet, heart, words and water. Sets 3 and 4, plus the Meet page of set 5. Talk about radicals that change shape, and say 我去洗手。 before every snack.
3. Week 3: Sky, plants and animals. The rest of set 5, then sets 6 and 7. Put 日 and 月 together to make 明, and find 木 in 林 and 森.
4. Week 4: Ground, home and food. Sets 8 to 10. Count the dots on 衤 and 礻, and look for 纟 in colour words.
5. After set 10: Cards and the quiz. Cut out the 30 radical cards on pages 23 to 26 for memory or snap: your child names the meaning to win each pair. Then try Be a Radical Detective on page 27.

Who it’s for

Grown-ups with a child aged 7 to 10 who has started reading Chinese characters, at about YCT levels 2 to 3, at home or in class. Children who like puzzles and spotting clues take to it quickly.

Before you start: Your child should know a few simple characters. You don't need to speak Chinese: every character has pinyin and English, and Mei Lin's notes explain each radical in plain English. There is no audio, so read the pinyin together.

Frequently asked questions

What is a radical, and why teach it to children?

A radical is the part of a character that hints at its meaning. 氵 means water, so 河 (river), 海 (sea) and 洗 (wash) all have to do with water. Once a child knows 30 radicals, a new character becomes a puzzle with a clue, and a sensible guess deserves praise.

What age is it for?

Ages 7 to 10, around YCT levels 2 to 3. Children should already know a few characters. Each puzzle has a worked example to copy, and the Meet pages show every radical beside the picture it came from.

How do the radical cards work?

Pages 23 to 26 have 30 cards to cut out, one per radical, each with its pinyin, meaning and the characters that use it. Play memory or snap with them: your child names the radical's meaning to win each pair.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 31-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class or my children?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

Keep going

Chinese Stories for Kids with Pinyin: 8 Read-Along Tales (Ages 7–10) · Mandarin for Kids: Animals & Fruit · Colors and Numbers in Chinese for Kids: Printable Worksheets (Ages 4–6) · Mandarin for Kids: My Family & Me · Learn radicals online in SayMei Radicals · Browse all 294 workbooks