2indexing radical for characters built inside a sideways-opening container
Tips
usage
匚 is the right-opening box that encloses 区, 匠, 匣, 匹, 匿. The frame represents a basket or square vessel, with the opening turned to the right. Compare with 匸 (#23), which looks nearly identical but historically means 'to hide'.
history
匚 is the proto-form of 匡 (basket; to correct). Xinhua treats it as 古字; it never appears as a free word in modern Chinese, surviving only as a radical for box-shaped enclosures.
Radical
BoxKangxi #22
The right-opening box radical. A structural slot for characters built inside a sideways-opening frame — 区, 匠, 匣, 匹, 医, 匿. Not standalone in modern Chinese. Visually nearly identical to 匸 (#23); the two are usually merged in simplified dictionaries.
