牛

Ox Component (牛)

niú · 4 strokes

The ox component (牛) is a component found 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 left side of a character. 11 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 牛 is also a Kangxi radical (cow). 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 Ox Radical (牛) page.

Ox Component at a Glance

Stroke Count4
Total Characters11
Primary RoleStructural
Typical Positionleft side
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (5 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes8
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All Ox Component Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

件jiànitem, matter半bànhalf

HSK 2 (1 characters)

告gàotell, inform

HSK 3 (2 characters)

特tèspecial物wù(bound form) thing

HSK 6 (1 characters)

牢láofirm

HSK 7-9 (5 characters)

牲shēngdomestic animal牺xīsacrifice牡mǔ(of a bird, animal or plant) male牧mùto herd犀xīrhinoceros

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the ox component (牛)?
There are 11 characters containing the ox component (牛) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 物 (wù, "(bound form) thing"), 特 (tè, "special"), 件 (jiàn, "item, matter"), 告 (gào, "tell, inform"), 半 (bàn, "half"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 牛 a radical or a component?
牛 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 牛 (cow) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 牛 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the ox radical," it means 牛 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the ox component," it means 牛 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 牛 appear in a character?
The ox component (牛) most commonly appears on the left side of a character. Full position breakdown: left side (6 characters), top (1 characters), right side (1 characters), overlay (1 characters), bottom (1 characters), inner (enclosed) part (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 牛 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include ox component characters?
Characters containing the ox component (牛) appear across 5 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 5 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common ox-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).