部首

bùshǒu

noun #98,419

Measure Word

一个部首 gè

Meanings

1 radical (of a Chinese character)
2 the classifying component used to look up a character in a dictionary

Characters

Examples

河字的部首是三点水。

Hé zì de bùshǒu shì sāndiǎn shuǐ.

The radical of the character 河 is the three-dot water.

汉字查字典要按部首查。

Hànzì chá zìdiǎn yào àn bùshǒu chá.

To look up Chinese characters in a dictionary, you search by radical.

《康熙字典》收录了214个部首。

《 Kāngxī Zìdiǎn 》 shōulù le èr bǎi yī shí sì gè bùshǒu.

The Kangxi Dictionary includes 214 radicals.

Tips

culture

The standard 214 Kangxi radicals (康熙部首) have been the dictionary-lookup system since 1716. Radicals often hint at meaning: 氵 (water) appears in 河, 海, 湖; 木 (tree) appears in 树, 林, 森.

Stroke Order

部 bù

首 shǒu