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Bushu - Radicals - Kanji structures and their variants

Kanji are classified in dictionaries according to their main components. These components are called in English Radical and in Japanese 部首 (bushu). Its original name in Japanese is composed with the kanji , which means division, section, group, and with the kanji , which means head or neck.

The Radicals are kanji or elements that are found in the structure of an ideogram. Many think that a kanji is formed by various radicals, up to the point yes. However, each kanji has only one radical that is its head. This radical may or may not be related to the final meaning of the kanji word. The radicals are not named and not all have their own meaning, currently there are about 214 radicals.

How is a Kanji formed using radicals? See below radicals being applied and forming different Kanji:

  • The radical of this kanji is "sun" 日 - The meaning of the kanji is "time";
  • 詩 - The radical of this kanji is "word" 言 - The meaning of the kanji is "poetry, poem";
  • 持 - The radical of this kanji is "hand" 扌 - The meaning of the kanji is "to hold,"

You observed that the radical de mão 扌 is not the same as 手. Isso é because not all radicals are being used in the Japanese language, a maioria are used only to form the kanji. You should also know that Japanese is full of ideograms that have the same meaning.

Classification of Radicals - Position

Radicals are usually classified by the position they are in the kanji, knowing this position will make them easier to use.

Japanese Position
へん (hen) left side
つくり (tsukuri) right side
かんむり (kanmuri) on top
あし (ashi) below
かまえ (kamae) search for the kanji from outside to inside
たれ (tare) cover the kanji from top to bottom.
にょう (nyou) left side also encoming the bottom part of the kanji.

The image below will show examples of kanji and the positions of their stems.

Bushu - radicals - structures of kanji and their variants

What are the benefits of knowing Japanese Radicals?

It is important to have knowledge of these elements that make up the kanji, so that it becomes easier to find a specific kanji in a dictionary and even understand the essence of its meaning.

Another advantage is that over time, you will be able to identify meaning in the ideograms and stop seeing just strokes. Knowledge of these elements helps you the kanji and its meaning.

We know that several words in the Japanese language are the combination of kanji, for example: 手紙 (letter) is the combination of the ideograms for hand (手) and paper (紙). The same thing happens with radicals. Here are some examples:

  • The Kanji and Radical 木 (tree) can become 林 (grove) and 森 (forest);
  • The Kanji and Radical 木 together with 几 (table) form the kanji 机 (desk / work table)

Imagine that you found a kanji and do not know its meaning or how to look it up. You can use the radical search on the jisho site or the one built into Windows in a resource called IME Pad, which can be accessed by right-clicking the Japanese language keyboard icon in the Windows taskbar.

Table with Japanese radicals

Below we have a table with the main radicals, the number of dashes, a meaning and their position in Japanese. ing that the meanings of the radicals are quite varied, don't get attached to it's just an informative meaning.

traits Radical Position Meaning Grades
1 One   one, horizontal stroke  
1   vertical stroke  
1   point  
1   stroke diagonal scan  
1   the second  
1   the second variant of ⼄(おつ)
1   vertical stroke with a hook  
2   two  
2 かんむり cap, top  
2   person  
2   person variant of ⼈(ひと)important
2 ? かんむり person variant of ⼈(ひと)
2   human legs important
2 In    
2   eight  
2 けいがまえ include  
2 かんむり cover, crown important
2 へん ice  
2   table  
2 かんむり wind variant of ⼏(きにょう)
2   container, open box  
2   knife, sword  
2 つくり knife, sword variant of ⼑(かたな)important
2   power  
2   wrap up  
2 つくり spoon  
2   caixa  
2 はこがまえ hide  
2 ten   ten  
2   oracle  
2 つくり stamp, a seal  
2   cliff important
2   private, Katakana Mu  
2   again the right hand  
3 Mouth   mouth  
3 くにがまえ border, territorial borders important
3   earth  
3   man scholar samurai  
3   Next  
3 foot Go slow  
3   night  
3   big big  
3   woman  
3 Child   child, son  
3 かんむり roof house important
3   inch (2.25 cm)  
3   small  
3 かんむり small variant of ⼩(しょう)
3 つくり lame leg  
3 たれ corpse, awning  
3   bud  
3 mountain   mountain  
3   winding river  
3 river   river variant of ⼮(まがりがわ)
3   work, carpenter, skill  
3   ego  
3   fabric  
3   dry, shield  
3   young, light  
3 たれ sloping roof important
3 にょう to move, stretch  
3 foot hands folded  
3   dart  
3   bow (in archery)  
3   Pig's head  
3   Pig's head variant of ⼹(けいがしら)
3   Pig's head variant of ⼹(けいがしら)
3 つくり hair-style, the rays of light  
3 へん step, step, street, go important
3 かんむり grass variant of ⾋(くさ)important
3 にょう road on foot advance variant of ⾡(しんにょう)important
3 つくり village, country, city variant of ⾢(むら)important
3 へん hill, mound variant of ⾩(こざと)important
3 かんむり katakana Tsu  
3 へん heart, mind, spirit variant of ⼼(こころ)important
3 へん hand variant of ⼿(て)important
3 へん water variant of ⽔(みず)important
3 へん beast variant of ⽝(いぬ)important
4 heart   heart, mind, spirit  
4 foot heart, mind, spirit variant of ⼼(こころ)
4   spear weapon  
4   door  
4 Hand   hand  
4   branch  
4 つくり activity, to strike, hit  
4 つくり activity, to strike, hit variant of ⽁(ぼくづくり) important
4   literature, letters  
4 つくり Big Bear, shell, 18 liters  
4 つくり Axe  
4 Direction   direction flag  
4   no  
4   sun, day, time  
4   say  
4 Moon   moon, month, period  
4 へん moon, month, period variant of ⽉(つき)
4 Wood   tree, wood  
4   missing, yawn  
4   to stop  
4   death and dying, decompose  
4 つくり boom shaft action  
4   no mother  
4   compare  
4   hair  
4   family, clan  
4   steam, air  
4 Water   water  
4 Fire   fire  
4 foot fire variant of ⽕(ひ)important
4   claw nail  
4 かんむり claw nail variant of ⽖(つめ)
4 かんむり claw nail variant of ⽖(つめ)
4 Father   father  
4   mix  
4 へん split wood  
4   split wood  
4 🐄   cow  
4   dog  
4 へん altar, festival, religious service variant of ⽰(しめす)
4   liquid variant of ⽹(あみ)
4 かんむり age, old age variant of ⽼(おいかんむり)
5   darkness  
5   jewelry  
5   tile  
5   sweet  
5   birth, live  
5   use  
5   rice field  
5   piece of fabric  
5 へん piece of fabric variant of ⽦(ひき)
5 たれ disease important
5 かんむり open legs match  
5 White   white  
5 leather   skin hide  
5   plate, bowl  
5   eye  
5   halberd  
5   seta  
5 stone   stone  
5   altar, festival, religious service  
5   footprint  
5 へん grain important
5   hole, cave  
5 Standing   rest  
5   water variant of ⽔(みず)
5 かんむり liquid variant of ⽹(あみ)
5 ?   liquid variant of ⽹(あみ)
5 へん clothing variant of ⾐(ころも)important
5   no variant of ⽆(むにょう)
6 Bamboo   bamboo  
6 かんむり bamboo variant of ⽵(たけ)important
6 rice   rice  
6   fio  
6   clay jar  
6   liquid  
6 sheep   sheep  
6   sheep variant of ⽺(ひつじ)
6   feather, wing  
6   feather, wing variant of 羽(はね)
6   age, old age  
6   and also  
6 へん plow  
6 ⽿   ear  
6   writing brush  
6 meat   meat, meats  
6   retainer minister  
6 self   ego  
6 至 (to)   arrive  
6   mortar, whether  
6   language  
6   otherwise, err  
6   ship, boat  
6   limit  
6 color   color  
6   grass, plant  
6 かんむり tiger  
6 bug   worm, insect  
6 blood   blood  
6 ぎょうがまえ go important
6 Clothing   clothing  
6   cover, west  
6   cover, west variant of ⾑(にし)
6   melon variant of ⽠(うり)
7 See   see  
7   horn, corner  
7   words say say  
7   value  
7 Bean   bean  
7   pig  
7 へん badger  
7   shell, property, wealth  
7 Red   red  
7   execute  
7 Foot   foot, leg  
7 へん foot, leg variant of ⾜(あし)important
7 Body   body  
7 🚙   vehicle, wheel, car  
7   bitter  
7   sign Thursday, 7-9 AM  
7   to advance, advance  
7   community  
7   bird  
7   break apart  
7   village, (km 3.93)  
7   retainer minister variant of ⾂(しん)
7   wheat variant of ⿆(むぎ)important
8 Gold   metal, gold, mineral  
8   long  
8 Gate もんがまえ gate, door  
8   hill  
8 つくり capture  
8   little bird  
8 Rain   rain  
8 かんむり rain variant of ⾬(あめ)important
8   blue green  
8 Blue   blue green variant of ⾭(あお)
8   wrong, no  
8 へん food, eat variant of ⾷(しょく)
8   like variant of ⿑(せい)
9 face   face, surface  
9   leather  
9   leek  
9   sound, noise  
9 Page つくり head page important
9 Wind   wind  
9   fly  
9 Food   food, eat  
9   head  
9   perfume  
10 Horse   horse  
10 Bone   bone  
10   high  
10 かんむり long hair  
10 もんがまえ fight  
10 ⾿   herbs  
10   tripod  
10   demon  
10   leather variant of (なめしがわ)
11   fish  
11   bird  
11   sal  
11   stag  
11   wheat  
11   hemp  
11   yellow variant of ⿈(き)
11 black   black variant of ⿊(くろ)
11   turtle variant of ⿔(かめ)
12   yellow  
12   millet  
12   black  
12   embroider  
12   tooth variant of ⿒(は)
13   frog  
13   tripod  
13   drum  
13   rato, rato  
14   nose  
14   like  
15   tooth  
16   dragon  
16   turtle  
17   flute