Question 1

What is a Chinese radical?

Accepted Answer

A radical, 部首 (bù shǒu), is the part of a character that a dictionary files it under, usually a part that hints at the meaning: 氵 (shuǐ, water) in 河 (hé, river) and 海 (hǎi, sea), or 扌 (shǒu, hand) in 打 (dǎ, to hit). Each character is filed under one radical.

Question 2

How many Chinese radicals are there, 214 or 201?

Accepted Answer

Both numbers are used. The traditional system has 214 radicals, fixed by the Kangxi Dictionary in 1716 and still used by Unicode and most traditional dictionaries. Mainland Chinese dictionaries use a table of 201. This page follows the 214.

Question 3

What are the most common Chinese radicals?

Accepted Answer

The ten most common are 扌 (shǒu, hand), 氵 (shuǐ, water), 口 (kǒu, mouth), 亻 (rén, person), 木 (mù, tree), 忄 (xīn, heart), 讠 (yán, speech), 辶 (chuò, walking), 月 (ròu, flesh, as in 脑 nǎo) and 纟 (mì, silk). Together they head 704 of the 1,940 characters on the HSK 1–6 reading lists, more than a third.

Question 4

Are radicals the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Accepted Answer

Mostly, but several radicals have a simplified shape: 言 (yán) becomes 讠 (yán) on the left, 金 (jīn) becomes 钅 (jīn) and 糸 (mì) becomes 纟 (mì). Traditional script keeps the full forms, as in 說 (shuō, to speak) and 錢 (qián, money). The table lists both forms.

Question 5

How many radicals should a beginner learn first?

Accepted Answer

Start with the 50 most common: they head about three in four of the characters on the HSK 1–6 reading lists. Learn them ten at a time with the five practice sets, tracing each radical and then a character that uses it, like 扌 (shǒu) in 打 (dǎ).

Question 6

Is this worksheet free to print?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Chinese radicals worksheet is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account or email needed, and you can print as many copies as you like for a class. Choose A4 or US Letter before you press Print or Save PDF.