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.

1,286 searchable families29 guided meaning clues16 guided sound clues
Choose a lookup route
Start with a learning route

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.

1,286 component families

kǒu

mouth; opening

487 characters
shuǐ

water

471 characters
cǎo

grass; plants

435 characters

wood; tree

400 characters
shǒu

hand; action

344 characters
rén

person

284 characters
jīn

metal; gold

223 characters

earth; ground

215 characters
chóng

insect; creature

207 characters

meat, flesh; organic compound

182 characters
xīn

heart; feeling

166 characters

woman; female

162 characters
yán

words, speech; to speak, to say

162 characters
fù / yì

mound or place

161 characters

sun; day

155 characters

one; first

151 characters
yán

speech; language

147 characters
zhú

bamboo; flute

146 characters

silk; thread

144 characters
jīn

gold, metal; money

135 characters
huǒ

fire; heat

134 characters
chuò

movement; walking

132 characters
shān

mountain

131 characters

illness

126 characters

silk; thread

126 characters

foot; to attain, to satisfy; enough

124 characters
shí

stone, rock, mineral

123 characters
wáng

king, ruler; royal; surname

123 characters

eye; to look, to see; division, topic

103 characters
xīn

heart; mind

102 characters
quǎn

animal; dog

88 characters

cover

87 characters
mián

roof; home

84 characters
dāo

knife; cutting

83 characters

cereal, grain, rice; plant, stalk

82 characters

fish

80 characters
bèi

shell; money

79 characters
niǎo

bird

78 characters
niǎo

bird

78 characters
广
guǎng

broad, vast, wide; building, house

74 characters

clothing

72 characters
bèi

sea shell; money, currency

71 characters
yòu

and, also, again, in addition

71 characters

rice, millet, grain

70 characters
yǒu

wine; wine vessel; chemical

66 characters

horse

65 characters

fish

64 characters

big; great

63 characters
tián

field, farm, arable land; cultivated

63 characters
zhuī

short-tailed bird; sparrow

63 characters

strength, power; capability, influence

61 characters

to rap, to tap; script; to let go

59 characters
shí

ten, tenth; complete; perfect

59 characters
chē

cart, vehicle; to move in a cart

58 characters
jīn

cloth, curtain, handkerchief, towel

58 characters

horse; surname

55 characters
chē

cart, vehicle; to move in a cart

53 characters
rén

person; people

53 characters
mén

door; enclosure

52 characters
丿
piě

slash

52 characters

page, sheet, leaf

50 characters
xué

cave, den, hole

49 characters
chǎng

cliff; factory, workshop; building

48 characters
mén

gate, door, entrance, opening

47 characters
mǐn

dish, vessel; shallow container

47 characters

eight; all around, all sides

46 characters
ěr

ear; to hear, to hear of; handle

46 characters
shī

body, corpse

46 characters
tóu

lid, cover; head

46 characters
yáng

sheep, goat

46 characters

page, sheet, leaf

46 characters
chì

to step with the left foot

45 characters
wéi

enclosure; border

45 characters
shí

food; to eat

44 characters
shì

ritual; spirit

44 characters
wǎng

net, network

43 characters
cùn

inch; small, tiny

42 characters
shí

food; eating

42 characters

rain

42 characters
fāng

square; direction

41 characters
gōng

labor, work; laborer, worker

41 characters
qiàn

to lack, to owe; to breathe, to yawn

41 characters
shù

number one; line

40 characters

small table; how many; a few, some

40 characters

spear, lance, halberd

39 characters

private, secret

39 characters

cloth; clothes, apparel; dress, coat

39 characters
bái

white; clear, pure, unblemished; bright

38 characters
huǒ

fire; heat

38 characters
niú

ox, cow, bull

38 characters
ha

kwukyel

37 characters
gōng

bow; curved, arched

36 characters
jiōng

wide

36 characters

feather, plume; wings

35 characters
zhōu

boat, ship

35 characters
diǎn

dot

34 characters

child; seed

34 characters

snout

33 characters
yuè

moon; month; body

33 characters
bīng

ice

32 characters
shū

tool, weapon

32 characters
dǎi

corpse; death; evil, depraved, wicked

31 characters
quǎn

dog

31 characters
gōu

secret, hidden, mysterious; small, minute; to conceal

31 characters

individual; each, every; all

30 characters
jīn

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

30 characters

to stand; to establish, to set up

30 characters
èr

two; twice

29 characters
fēi

not, negative, non-; to oppose

29 characters
gàn

arid, dry; to oppose; to offend; to invade

29 characters

leather, animal hide; to reform; to remove

29 characters
qiě

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

29 characters

to compare, liken; comparison; than

28 characters

old, classic, ancient

28 characters

door; family

28 characters
lìng

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

28 characters

silk; thread

28 characters
shān

hair; sunlight

28 characters
zhàn

to divine; to observe; to versify

28 characters
zhǐ

to go

28 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