1.
right-hand component of a kanji; the right-side radical element
The right-hand element of a kanji that has a left-right structure. It contrasts with 偏, the left-side element. For example, in 時 (time), 日 is the 偏 and 寺 is the 旁. The 旁 often carries a phonetic hint, while the 偏 carries semantic meaning.
漢字の旁。
The right-hand component of a kanji.
「時」の旁は「寺」だ。
The right-hand component of "時" is "寺".
旁は読み方のヒントになることが多い。
The right-hand component often gives a hint about the reading.
漢字は偏と旁の組み合わせでできているものが多い。
Many kanji are made up of a combination of a left-side radical and a right-side component.
Literally "the made thing" or "construction," from the verb 作る. In kanji analysis, 旁 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 — お造り). The kanji-radical sense is written 旁 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 "偏は〜、旁は〜" (the left side is 〜, the right side is 〜).
KEY PAIRINGS:
- 偏 + 旁: the classic left-right structure (e.g., 時、話、校)
- In such kanji, 偏 usually carries meaning, while 旁 often carries a phonetic hint
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 漢字の旁: the right-hand component of a kanji
- 旁が同じ: having the same right-hand component
- 偏と旁: left-side and right-side components
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 偏: the left-hand component — the natural counterpart of 旁
- にんべん / きへん: specific named left-side radicals
- 部首: radical (the general term for kanji components used in dictionary lookup)
- 冠: crown radical (top part of a kanji, e.g., ⺌ in 小)
- 脚: leg radical (bottom part of a kanji)