きへん

きへん
noun
tree radical (木); the left-hand "tree" radical in kanji
language
1. tree radical (木); the left-hand "tree" radical in kanji
The kanji radical 木(き), the 偏(へん) (left-side) form of the character for tree. It appears in many kanji related to trees, wood, and wooden objects, such as 林(はやし), 森(もり), 村(むら), 机(つくえ), 板(いた), and 柱(はしら).
「林(はやし)」はきへんの漢字(かんじ)だ。
"林" is a kanji with the tree radical.
きへんの漢字(かんじ)は木(き)に関係(かんけい)することが多(おお)い。
Kanji with the tree radical often relate to trees or wood.
「村(むら)」はきへんに寸(すん)と書(か)く。
"村" is written with the tree radical plus 寸.
名前(なまえ)の「柏(かしわ)」は、きへんに白(はく)と書(か)きます。
The name "柏" is written as the tree radical plus 白.

The name literally means "木(き)-偏(へん)" (tree-left-side-radical). Like other radical names, きへん is usually written in hiragana when cited or described in speech.

Usage

Native speakers routinely use radical names to describe kanji verbally — for example, when giving a rare surname over the phone or clarifying a character: きへんに白(はく)で「柏(かしわ)」. This is a standard conversational tool for disambiguation.

Common collocations

  • きへんの漢字(かんじ): a kanji with the tree radical
  • きへんに〜: tree radical next to 〜 (used when spelling out kanji)
  • きへんが付(つ)く: to have the tree radical attached

Kanji with this radical

Common examples include 林(はやし) (woods), 森(もり) (forest), 村(むら) (village), 机(つくえ) (desk), 板(いた) (board), 柱(はしら) (pillar), 橋(はし) (bridge), 松(まつ) (pine), and many more.

Similar words

  • にんべん: person radical (亻(にんべん)), another common left-side radical
  • さんずい: three-drops-of-water radical (氵(さんずい)), used in water-related kanji
  • 偏(へん): the general term for left-side radicals
  • 部首(ぶしゅ): radical (general term for kanji components)

Related Words

Compare: にんべん (person radical , another common…)
Compare: さんずい (three-drops-of-water radical , used…)
Compare: 偏(へん) (the general term for left-side radicals)
Compare: 部首(ぶしゅ) (radical)
Compare: 旁(つくり) (right-hand component of a kanji)
Related: てへん (the "hand" radical (扌))
Related: くさかんむり (the "grass crown" radical (艹))
general
Added 2026.4.14 2:19 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
23500/23625_kihen