旁(つくり)

Literally "the made thing" or "construction," from the verb 作(つく)る. In kanji analysis, 旁(つくり) refers specifically to the right-hand portion of a character that can be split into left and right elements.

Note that つくり has several unrelated meanings (construction, make, facial features, sashimi-style fish — お造(つく)り). The kanji-radical sense is written 旁(つくり) when written in kanji, but is very often written in hiragana.

Usage

Used in discussions of kanji etymology, dictionary lookup, and character description. Native speakers sometimes describe unfamiliar kanji as "偏(へん)は〜、旁(つくり)は〜" (the left side is 〜, the right side is 〜).

Key pairings

• 偏(へん) + 旁(つくり): the classic left-right structure (e.g., 時(じ)、話(わ)、校(こう))
• In such kanji, 偏(へん) usually carries meaning, while 旁(つくり) often carries a phonetic hint

Common collocations

• 漢字(かんじ)の旁(つくり): the right-hand component of a kanji
• 旁(つくり)が同(おな)じ: having the same right-hand component
• 偏(へん)と旁(つくり): left-side and right-side components

Similar words

• 偏(へん): the left-hand component — the natural counterpart of 旁(つくり)
• にんべん / きへん: specific named left-side radicals
• 部首(ぶしゅ): radical (the general term for kanji components used in dictionary lookup)
• 冠(かんむり): crown radical (top part of a kanji, e.g., ⺌ in 小(しょう))
• 脚(あし): leg radical (bottom part of a kanji)