Spot 元
Find the repeated shape and notice where it sits before trying to memorize the whole character.
Visual pattern
元 component
yuán · first; dollar; origin; head
A recurring visual building block found inside multiple Chinese characters. Compare what stays the same and what changes across the family.
A repeatable reading move
How to use 元
Use the component as a clue, then verify the complete character.
Compare the visual pattern
Use the stable shape to recognize the family, without assuming it always supplies meaning or sound.
Check what changes
Read the remaining component, then confirm the full pinyin, meaning, and stroke order on the character page.
Shared clue元Visual pattern
Read the pattern before memorizing the list
Use the shared shape as a recognition anchor, then confirm the full character's pronunciation and meaning.
The component page is a learning family; the radical page is a dictionary index. A shape can serve both roles.
Compare the family
What stays the same, what changes?
Each card keeps 元 visible while showing the other building blocks and the completed character.
完=
宀
玩=
王
远=
辶
园=
囗
阮=
阝
芫=
艹
沅=
氵
朊=
⺼
冠=
冖+寸
顽=
+页
蚖=
虫
寇=
宀+攴
Move into vocabulary
Words you can read next
These words contain characters from the 元 family. Open one to see its complete breakdown.
好玩儿hǎowánr
erhua variant of 好玩[hao3 wan2]
HSK 3.0 · L1玩wánto play
HSK 3.0 · L1完wánto finish
HSK 3.0 · L2远yuǎnfar
HSK 3.0 · L2动物园dòngwùyuánzoo
HSK 3.0 · L3公园gōngyuánpark
HSK 3.0 · L3花园huāyuángarden
HSK 3.0 · L3完成wánchéngto complete
HSK 3.0 · L3校园xiàoyuáncampus
HSK 3.0 · L3园yuánland used for growing plants
HSK 3.0 · L3开玩笑kāiwánxiàoto play a joke
HSK 3.0 · L4完全wánquáncomplete
HSK 3.0 · L4