刂

刂 Component (刂)

The 刂 component (刂) 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 刂 and associated concepts to the characters where it appears. It typically appears on the right side of a character. 33 characters: 3 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 8 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 4 in HSK 6, 10 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 刂 is also a Kangxi radical (knife). 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 刂 Radical (刂) page.

刂 Component at a Glance

Total Characters33
Primary RoleSemantic (meaning)
Typical Positionright side
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (10 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes8
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All 刂 Component Characters

HSK 1 (3 characters)

到dàoto reach班bānteam师shīteacher

HSK 2 (1 characters)

别biéto leave

HSK 3 (3 characters)

刚gānghard刻kèquarter (hour)刮guāto scrape

HSK 4 (8 characters)

划huáto row列lièto arrange剧jùtheatrical work (play, opera, TV series etc)剩shèngto remain利lìsharp判pàn(bound form) to differentiate帅shuài(bound form) commander-in-chief则zé(literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but

HSK 5 (4 characters)

刺cìthorn创chuàngto initiate副fùsecondary删shānto delete

HSK 6 (4 characters)

刊kānto print剑jiàndouble-edged sword刹chàBuddhist monastery, temple or shrine (abbr. for 剎多羅|刹多罗, Sanskrit "ksetra")割gēto cut

HSK 7-9 (10 characters)

辨biànto distinguish剥bāoto peel剂jì(bound form) a compound made by mixing ingredients (esp. a medicinal or chemical product)刘liú(classical) a type of battle-ax刨bàocarpenter's plane剖pōuto cut open剔tīto scrape the meat from bones剃tìto shave削xiāoto peel with a knife刑xíngpunishment

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the 刂 component (刂)?
There are 33 characters containing the 刂 component (刂) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 3 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 8 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 4 in HSK 6, 10 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 到 (dào, "to reach"), 利 (lì, "sharp"), 别 (bié, "to leave"), 则 (zé, "(literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but"), 师 (shī, "teacher"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 刂 a radical or a component?
刂 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 刂 (knife) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 刂 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the 刂 radical," it means 刂 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the 刂 component," it means 刂 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 刂 appear in a character?
The 刂 component (刂) most commonly appears on the right side of a character. Full position breakdown: right side (29 characters), middle (2 characters), left side (2 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 刂 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include 刂 component characters?
Characters containing the 刂 component (刂) appear across 7 HSK levels: 3 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 3 in HSK 3, 8 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 4 in HSK 6, 10 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 10 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common 刂-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).