2indexing radical for characters topped by a roof with a center dot
Tips
usage
宀 is informally called 宝盖头 ('treasure-cover top') and is one of the most reliable semantic clues in Chinese: a 宀 on top almost always signals a building, a home, or a sheltered space — 家, 安, 室, 客, 宿, 寺, 宝, 字.
history
Xinhua simply notes 宀 as 房屋 — a house. It is never a free word; the modern noun 'house' is built from 宀 plus a phonetic, as in 家 (home with a pig under a roof) or 室 (room).
Radical
RoofKangxi #40
The roof radical and one of the most productive semantic markers in the language. A 宀 on top is a near-guarantee that the character refers to a building, dwelling, or sheltered space: 家, 安, 室, 客, 宿, 寺, 宝, 字, 守, 完. Distinguish from 冖 (roof without dot).
