にんべん

にんべん
noun
person radical (亻); the left-hand "person" radical in kanji
language
1. person radical (亻); the left-hand "person" radical in kanji
The kanji radical 亻(にんべん), a stylized form of 人(ひと) (person) that appears on the left side of many kanji. It is one of the most common left-side radicals (偏(へん)) and generally signals that the kanji has some connection to people or human activity, as in 休(やす)む, 作(つく)る, 住(す)む, and 使(つか)う.
「休(やす)」はにんべんの漢字(かんじ)だ。
"休" is a kanji with the person radical.
にんべんは人(ひと)に関係(かんけい)する漢字(かんじ)によく使(つか)われる。
The person radical is often used in kanji related to people.
この字(じ)のにんべんを木(き)偏(へん)と間違(まちが)えないでください。
Please don't confuse the person radical in this character with the tree radical.
にんべんに「木(き)」と書(か)いて「休(やす)む」と読(よ)む。
Write "tree" next to the person radical and it reads as "yasumu" (to rest).

The name literally means "人(ひと)-偏(へん)" (person-left-side-radical). にんべん is written in hiragana far more often than in kanji, because the word is usually cited when spelling out or describing a character out loud.

Usage

Native speakers commonly identify kanji in conversation by naming the radical plus another component: にんべんに木(き)で「休(やす)む」("person radical + tree = 休(やす)む"). This is a practical way to clarify which kanji you mean — for example, when giving your name over the phone.

Common collocations

  • にんべんの漢字(かんじ): a kanji with the person radical
  • にんべんに〜: person radical next to 〜 (used when spelling kanji aloud)
  • にんべんが付(つ)く: to have the person radical attached

Kanji with this radical

Common examples include 休(やす)む (rest), 作(つく)る (make), 住(す)む (live), 使(つか)う (use), 体(からだ) (body), 代(か)わる (replace), 何(なに) (what), and many more.

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: きへん (tree radical , a left-side radical…)
Compare: 偏(へん) (the general term for any left-side…)
Compare: 旁(つくり) (right-side component of a kanji)
Compare: 部首(ぶしゅ) (radical)
Related: さんずい (water radical (氵))
general
Added 2026.4.14 2:19 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:31
23500/23624_ninben