List of kanji radicals by frequency

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This is a simplified table of Japanese kanji visual components (graphemes) that does away with all the archaic forms found in the Japanese version of the Kangxi radicals.

The 214 Kanji radicals are technically classifiers as they are not always etymologically correct,[1] but since linguistics uses that word in the sense of "classifying" nouns (such as in counter words), dictionaries commonly call the kanji components radicals. As dictionaries have moved from textbooks to interactive screens, the term "radicals" seems to now be used for any kanji component used in a visual search.

Most common radicals[]

The six radicals that occur the most frequently[2] (in order of frequency)[3] and make up 25% of the 2136 Jōyō kanji:

  • 口 (くち) mouth
  • 水/氵 (みず) water
  • 木 (き) tree
  • 人/亻 (ひと) person
  • 手/扌 (て) hand
  • 心/忄/⺗ (こころ) heart

Thirty-one radicals that together with the above make up 75% of Jōyō kanji:

  • 一 (いち) one
  • 刀/刂 (かたな, トウ) sword
  • 十 (ジュウ, と) ten
  • 田 (た, デン) rice field
  • 火/灬 (ひ, カ) fire
  • 大 (おお, ダイ) big
  • 山 (やま, サン) mountain
  • 食 / 飠 (しょく) eat, food
  • 車 (くるま) vehicle
  • 彳 (行人/ぎょうにん) walking person radical
  • 目 (め) eye
  • 雨 (あめ) rain
  • 犬 / 犭 (いぬ, ケン) dog
  • 王 (おう) king; 玉 (たま) ball, jewel
  • 石 (いし) stone
  • 力 (ちから) power
  • 衣/衤 (ころも) garment
  • 弓 (ゆみ) bow
  • 竹/⺮ (たけ) bamboo
  • 又 (また) again
  • 攵 (のぶん) strike, action radical
  • 夂 (ふゆがしら) winter radical
  • 示/礻 (しめす) show on an altar radical
  • 酉 (とり) alcohol radical
  • 囗 (くに) enclosure radical
  • 禾 (いね) grain radical
  • 广 (間/ま) building on a cliff radical
  • 疒 (病/やまい) sickness radical
  • 巾 (きん/はば) cloth radical
  • 尸 (かたしろ, シ) flag/corpse radical
  • 寸 (すん) inch/sundial, degree radical

Fourteen radicals that together with the above make up 50% of Jōyō kanji:

  • 言 (こと) word
  • 日 (ひ, ニチ) sun/day
  • 糸 (いと) silk/thread
  • 幺 (いとがしら) thread radical
  • 肉 (にく) meat/organ
  • 月 (つき) moon
  • 土 (つち) ground
  • ⻌ (しんにょう) go/road radical
  • 艹 (艸/草/くさ) grass/plant radical
  • 宀 (屋根/やね, ウ/ウ冠/うかんむり) roof/crown radical
  • 貝 (かい) shell
  • 女 (おんな, ジョ) woman
  • 阝 (⻖/阜/こざと) wall/hill/village radical (left side) / (⻏/邑/おおざと) large village radical (right side)
  • 金 (かね/キン) gold/metal

Table of kanji radicals[]

Table key[]

Position category:

  • へん (hen) - left - radical forms the left component of a kanji.
  • つくり (tsukuri) - right - radical forms the right component of a kanji.
  • かんむり (kanmuri) - top - radical forms the top component of a kanji.
  • あし (ashi) - bottom - radical forms the bottom component of a kanji.
  • かまえ (kamae) - wrap - radical encloses the other kanji components.
  • たれ (tare) - top-left - radical forms the left and top components of a kanji.
  • にょう (nyou) - bottom-left - radical forms the left and bottom component of a kanji.
  • Either left or right - radical can form either the left or right component of a kanji.

Notes[]

  • This is a simplified list, so the reading of the radical is only given if the kanji is used on its own.
  • Example kanji for each radical are all jōyō kanji, but some examples show all jōyō (ordered by stroke number) while others were from the Chinese radicals page with non-jōyō (and Chinese-only) characters removed.
  • No radicals with more than 12 strokes are listed as they are not as common and can all be formed from the other components.
  • The radicals are listed in the same basic order that the Kangxi radicals are listed except for the two and three-stroke radicals which are in a more visual order.

Table[]

hideRadical Stroke count Hiragana-Romaji Meaning Position Examples
1 いち-ichi one 一 戸 旦
1 line 巾 引 中 甲 旧
1 てん-ten dot 刃 凡 丸 丹 太 犬 丼
丿 1 bend 丈 久 才 万 丹 少
乙 (乚) 1 おつ-otsu second, latter 乙 乞 乏 孔 屯 札 礼 宅 乱 枕 乳
1 hook 了 丁 才
2 に-ni two 井 仁 元 示
2 lid 六 玄 市 夜 京
2 ひと-hito human, person 人 欠 夫 内 囚 丙 失 肉 扶 快 決
2 human, person 仏 化 付 代 他 仕 休 位 作 体 住 何 花 信
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