刂

lìdāopáng

radical variant

Meanings

1 side knife radical (variant of 刀)
2 right form of the knife radical, Kangxi #18

Tips

usage

Whenever 刂 sits on the right edge of a character, expect cutting, separating, or sharp action - it is the knife radical compressed to two strokes so it can hug the right side of a compound. Never written alone; the standalone form is 刀.

history

刂 is the calligraphic vertical of the pictograph 刀 (a curved blade). Pushed against the right side of a host character, the curve straightens into a downward stroke plus a hook - a faster brush gesture that preserves the cutting-edge silhouette.

usage

Sharp-edge cue: 别 (separate/don't), 到 (arrive), 前 (front), 刚 (just/firm), 利 (sharp/profit), 刻 (carve/quarter-hour), 划 (slice/plan).

Radical

Knife Kangxi #18

Highly productive radical. A reliable semantic clue for cutting, dividing, and decisive action: 分, 切, 刻, 剪, 割, 划, 利, 刑. The right-side reduction 刂 dominates in compounds, while the standalone 刀 keeps its full pictographic blade.

Forms

刀 dāo

Default 11 characters

刂 lìdāopáng

Right 51 characters

Used in

View all 51 →

Showing 6 of 51 · right form 刂 of 刀

到 dào

to arrive · to reach

别 bié

to leave; to part (from) · to differentiate; to distinguish

别 biè

to make someone change their ways or opinions

前 qián

front · before

刚 gāng

just (now) · just barely

副 fù

deputy; vice-; assistant · secondary; auxiliary

Stroke Order