一

One Component (一)

yī · 1 strokes

The one component (一) is one of the most common building blocks 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 structural element in character composition. It typically appears on the top of a character. 62 characters: 21 in HSK 1, 5 in HSK 2, 12 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 5 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 11 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 一 is also a Kangxi radical (one). 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 One Radical (一) page.

One Component at a Glance

Stroke Count1
Total Characters62
Primary RoleStructural
Typical Positiontop
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (21 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes5
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All One Component Characters

HSK 1 (21 characters)

口kǒumouth日rìsun, day不bùno大dàbig上shàng(bound form) up子zǐson下xiàdown工gōngwork天tiānday兴xīngto rise正zhèngstraight两liǎngtwo百bǎihundred二èrtwo三sānthree七qīseven十shíten本běn(bound form) root开kāito open (transitive or intransitive)生shēngto be born再zàiagain

HSK 2 (5 characters)

画huàto draw, painting万wànten thousand丈zhàngmeasure of length, ten Chinese feet (3.3 m)夫fūhusband长chánglong

HSK 3 (12 characters)

马mǎhorse共gòngcommon且qiěand末mòtip干gāndry毛máohair更gēngto change or replace求qiúto seek夏xiàthe Xia or Hsia dynasty c. 2000 BC业yèline of business直zhíZhi (c. 2000 BC), fifth of the legendary Flame Emperors 炎帝 descended from Shennong 神農|神农 Farmer God卫wèivassal state during the Zhou Dynasty (1066–221 BC), located in present-day Henan and Hebei Provinces

HSK 4 (6 characters)

土tǔearth, soil丽líKorea专zhuānfor a particular person, occasion, purpose无wúnot to have亚yàAsia与yǔand

HSK 5 (5 characters)

未wèinot yet立lìto stand武wǔmartial豆dòulegume旦dàn(literary) dawn

HSK 6 (2 characters)

王wángking or monarch灭mièto extinguish or put out

HSK 7-9 (11 characters)

畏wèito fear凹āoconcave丙bǐngthird of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干丛cóngcluster歹dǎibad丘qiūmound屯túnto station (soldiers)曰yuēto speak朱zhūvermilion兹zī(literary) this兀wùsurname Wu

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the one component (一)?
There are 62 characters containing the one component (一) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 21 in HSK 1, 5 in HSK 2, 12 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 5 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 11 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 不 (bù, "no"), 上 (shàng, "(bound form) up"), 大 (dà, "big"), 生 (shēng, "to be born"), 子 (zǐ, "son"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 一 a radical or a component?
一 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 一 (one) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 一 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the one radical," it means 一 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the one component," it means 一 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 一 appear in a character?
The one component (一) most commonly appears on the top of a character. Full position breakdown: top (25 characters), bottom (12 characters), base (10 characters), overlay (6 characters), inner (enclosed) part (4 characters), middle (4 characters), outer (enclosing) part (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 一 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include one component characters?
Characters containing the one component (一) appear across 7 HSK levels: 21 in HSK 1, 5 in HSK 2, 12 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 5 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 11 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 21 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common one-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).