足

Foot Component (足)

zú · 7 strokes

The foot component (足) is a frequently seen component in Chinese characters. In Chinese, components serve different roles: semantic elements contribute meaning, phonetic elements suggest pronunciation, and structural elements provide the character's framework. It primarily serves as a semantic element, contributing meaning related to foot and associated concepts to the characters where it appears. It typically appears on the left side of a character. 29 characters: 5 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 8 in HSK 6, 12 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 足 is also a Kangxi radical (foot). As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For radical-specific details, see the Foot Radical (足) page.

Foot Component at a Glance

Stroke Count7
Total Characters29
Primary RoleSemantic (meaning)
Typical Positionleft side
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (12 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes14
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All Foot Component Characters

HSK 2 (5 characters)

跑pǎoto run路lùroad跟gēnfollow, heel跳tiàoto jump踢tīto kick

HSK 4 (1 characters)

距jùdistance

HSK 5 (3 characters)

践jiànto practice, to trample蹈dǎoto dance, to tread促cù(bound form) of short duration

HSK 6 (8 characters)

踩cǎito step on踏tàto step, to tread跌diēto fall跪guìto kneel踪zōngtrace, track捉zhuōto clutch跃yuèto jump蹲cún(dialect) to sprain one's foot or leg due to a sudden impact or landing

HSK 7-9 (12 characters)

跨kuàto stride, to cross踊yǒngleap蹦bèngto jump蹭cèngto rub against踹chuàito kick蹬dēngto step on跤jiāoa tumble趴pāto lie on one's stomach躁zàoimpatient跷qiāoto raise one's foot蹊qīused in 蹊蹺|蹊跷[qi1 qiao1]蹋tàto step on

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the foot component (足)?
There are 29 characters containing the foot component (足) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 5 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 8 in HSK 6, 12 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 路 (lù, "road"), 跟 (gēn, "follow, heel"), 跑 (pǎo, "to run"), 跳 (tiào, "to jump"), 促 (cù, "(bound form) of short duration"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 足 a radical or a component?
足 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 足 (foot) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 足 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the foot radical," it means 足 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the foot component," it means 足 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 足 appear in a character?
The foot component (足) most commonly appears on the left side of a character. Full position breakdown: left side (27 characters), right side (2 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 足 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include foot component characters?
Characters containing the foot component (足) appear across 5 HSK levels: 5 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 8 in HSK 6, 12 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 12 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common foot-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Components are identified through structural decomposition analysis of characters in the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首).