Reusable character patterns

Chinese components

Learn what recurring shapes can tell you about meaning and sound, then follow each pattern into characters, vocabulary, and writing practice.

1,394 searchable families29 guided meaning clues16 guided sound clues
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Three ways to read a component

Choose the clue that helps with the character in front of you.

Meaning clues

Start with visible categories such as people, water, hands, speech, and plants.

Shape changes

Compare full forms with the compact shapes they take inside other characters.

Sound families

Use repeated components as pronunciation clues, then verify the full character.

Full directory

Find a component family

Search by shape, pinyin, or meaning. Every result opens a dedicated learning page.

1,394 component families

氵
shuǐ

water

467 characters
口
kǒu

mouth; opening

448 characters
艹
cǎo

grass; plants

406 characters
木
mù

wood; tree

383 characters
扌
shǒu

hand; action

339 characters
亻
rén

person

281 characters
钅
jīn

metal; gold

223 characters
月
yuè

moon; month; body

209 characters
土
tǔ

earth; ground

206 characters
虫
chóng

insect; creature

195 characters
忄
xīn

heart; feeling

166 characters
阝
fù / yì

mound or place

161 characters
女
nǚ

woman; female

161 characters
言
yán

words, speech; to speak, to say

161 characters
金
jīn

gold, metal; money

155 characters
讠
yán

speech; language

147 characters
竹
zhú

bamboo; flute

144 characters
纟
sī

silk; thread

143 characters
日
rì

sun; day

139 characters
一
yī

one; first

139 characters
辶
chuò

movement; walking

132 characters
火
huǒ

fire; heat

132 characters
疒
nè

illness

126 characters
山
shān

mountain

124 characters
石
shí

stone, rock, mineral

123 characters
糹
sī

silk; thread

123 characters
王
wáng

king, ruler; royal; surname

118 characters
𧾷
Component111 characters
目
mù

eye; to look, to see; division, topic

97 characters
心
xīn

heart; mind

95 characters
犭
quǎn

animal; dog

87 characters
鱼
yú

fish

79 characters
禾
hé

cereal, grain, rice; plant, stalk

78 characters
刂
dāo

knife; cutting

76 characters
贝
bèi

shell; money

74 characters
鸟
niǎo

bird

74 characters
鳥
niǎo

bird

74 characters
广
guǎng

broad, vast, wide; building, house

72 characters
丿
piě

slash

72 characters
衤
yī

clothing

72 characters
貝
bèi

sea shell; money, currency

66 characters
米
mǐ

rice, millet, grain

66 characters
酉
yǒu

wine; wine vessel; chemical

66 characters
马
mǎ

horse

65 characters
宀
mián

roof; home

65 characters
魚
yú

fish

64 characters
冖
mì

cover

62 characters
隹
zhuī

short-tailed bird; sparrow

60 characters
车
chē

cart, vehicle; to move in a cart

58 characters
彳
chì

to step with the left foot

58 characters
力
lì

strength, power; capability, influence

58 characters
巾
jīn

cloth, curtain, handkerchief, towel

55 characters
田
tián

field, farm, arable land; cultivated

55 characters
馬
mǎ

horse; surname

53 characters
大
dà

big; great

52 characters
丨
shù

number one; line

52 characters
亠
tóu

lid, cover; head

51 characters
車
chē

cart, vehicle; to move in a cart

50 characters
门
mén

door; enclosure

50 characters
攵
pū

to rap, to tap; script; to let go

50 characters
穴
xué

cave, den, hole

49 characters
十
shí

ten, tenth; complete; perfect

48 characters
頁
yè

page, sheet, leaf

48 characters
又
yòu

and, also, again, in addition

48 characters
門
mén

gate, door, entrance, opening

47 characters
页
yè

page, sheet, leaf

47 characters
人
rén

person; people

46 characters
耳
ěr

ear; to hear, to hear of; handle

44 characters
飠
shí

food; to eat

44 characters
礻
shì

ritual; spirit

44 characters
八
bā

eight; all around, all sides

43 characters
尸
shī

body, corpse

43 characters
饣
shí

food; eating

42 characters
囗
wéi

enclosure; border

41 characters
雨
yǔ

rain

41 characters
丶
diǎn

dot

41 characters
白
bái

white; clear, pure, unblemished; bright

39 characters
欠
qiàn

to lack, to owe; to breathe, to yawn

39 characters
方
fāng

square; direction

38 characters
𠂉
Component37 characters
寸
cùn

inch; small, tiny

36 characters
牛
niú

ox, cow, bull

36 characters
罒
wǎng

net, network

36 characters
灬
huǒ

fire; heat

35 characters
皿
mǐn

dish, vessel; shallow container

35 characters
舟
zhōu

boat, ship

35 characters
冫
bīng

ice

34 characters
丷
ha

kwukyel

33 characters
厂
chǎng

cliff; factory, workshop; building

33 characters
弓
gōng

bow; curved, arched

33 characters
几
jǐ

small table; how many; a few, some

33 characters
且
qiě

moreover, also (post-subject); about to, will soon (pre-verb)

33 characters
羊
yáng

sheep, goat

32 characters
子
zǐ

child; seed

32 characters
工
gōng

labor, work; laborer, worker

31 characters
殳
shū

tool, weapon

31 characters
歹
dǎi

corpse; death; evil, depraved, wicked

30 characters
各
gè

individual; each, every; all

30 characters
古
gǔ

old, classic, ancient

29 characters
斤
jīn

a catty (about 500 grams); an axe; keen, shrewd

29 characters
立
lì

to stand; to establish, to set up

29 characters
糸
mì

silk; thread

29 characters
非
fēi

not, negative, non-; to oppose

28 characters
戈
gē

spear, lance, halberd

28 characters
羽
yǔ

feather, plume; wings

28 characters
占
zhàn

to divine; to observe; to versify

28 characters
革
gé

leather, animal hide; to reform; to remove

27 characters
合
hé

to combine, to join, to unite; to gather

27 characters
令
lìng

command, decree, order; magistrate; to allow, to cause

27 characters
犬
quǎn

dog

27 characters
分
fēn

to divide, to allocate; fraction; small unit of time or other quantity

26 characters
圭
guī

jade tablet

26 characters
气
qì

air, gas; steam, vapor; anger

26 characters
青
qīng

blue-green; young

26 characters
厶
sī

private, secret

26 characters
由
yóu

from; cause

26 characters
者
zhě

that which; they who; those who

26 characters
夂
zhǐ

to go

26 characters
匚
fāng

box; basket

25 characters
鬼
guǐ

ghost; demon; sly, mischievous

25 characters

Components and radicals are related, but not identical

Components are visual building blocks used for learning meaning and sound patterns.

Radicals are dictionary indexing parts. When a shape serves both roles, its component and radical pages link to each other.

Browse the radical index