部首(ぶしゅ)

ぶしゅ
noun
radical (of a kanji character)
1. radical, kanji radical
A component of a kanji character used to classify it in dictionaries. Radicals often indicate the meaning category of a character.
「海(うみ)」の部首(ぶしゅ)は「さんずい」です。
The radical of '海' is 'sanzui' (water radical).
漢字(かんじ)辞典(じてん)は部首(ぶしゅ)で調(しら)べることができる。
You can look up characters by radical in a kanji dictionary.
部首(ぶしゅ)を覚(おぼ)えると漢字(かんじ)の意味(いみ)が分(わ)かりやすくなる。
If you learn the radicals, it becomes easier to understand the meanings of kanji.

部首(ぶしゅ) are the building blocks used to classify kanji in dictionaries. There are 214 traditional radicals.

Common radicals and their names:

  • 氵(さんずい) - water radical
  • 亻(にんべん) - person radical
  • 木(きへん) - tree radical
  • 扌(てへん) - hand radical
  • 艹(くさかんむり) - grass crown

Learning radicals helps with:

  • Looking up kanji in dictionaries
  • Understanding kanji meanings (semantic clues)
  • Memorizing new kanji

Related terms:

  • 漢字(かんじ) (kanji)
  • 画数(かくすう) (stroke count)
general
Added 2026.1.13 20:59 · Revised 2026.2.2 16:51
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