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 sān diǎn 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