宀

宀 Component (宀)

The 宀 component (宀) 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. 50 characters: 5 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 7 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 7 in HSK 5, 12 in HSK 6, 13 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 宀 is also a Kangxi radical (roof). 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 宀 Radical (宀) page.

宀 Component at a Glance

Total Characters50
Primary RoleStructural
Typical Positiontop
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (13 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes9
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All 宀 Component Characters

HSK 1 (5 characters)

家jiāhome, family客kèguest, customer字zìletter它tāit宜yíproper

HSK 2 (2 characters)

室shìroom完wánto finish

HSK 3 (7 characters)

容róngto contain, appearance实shíreal, practical安ānsafe, peace定dìngto decide, fixed赛sàicompetition害hàito do harm to宾bīnvisitor

HSK 4 (4 characters)

富fùrich寒háncold寄jìto send, to mail察cháto observe

HSK 5 (7 characters)

宽kuānwide宿sùlodge, stay宣xuānto declare (publicly)宝bǎojewel守shǒuto guard宠chǒngto love寓yù(bound form) to reside

HSK 6 (12 characters)

官guānofficial审shěnto examine寂jìquiet, lonely寞mòlonely宵xiāonight灾zāidisaster宫gōngpalace宏hónggreat牢láofirm塞sāito plug宴yàn(bound form) feast宅zháiresidence

HSK 7-9 (13 characters)

寨zhàistockade寡guǎfew, widow寥liáofew, sparse宁nìngabbr. for Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 寧夏回族自治區|宁夏回族自治区宇yǔroom宗zōngschool寝qǐn(bound form) to lie down to sleep or rest宋sòngthe Song dynasty (960–1279)宪xiànstatute穴xuécave宰zǎito slaughter宙zhòueternity寐mèito sleep soundly

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the 宀 component (宀)?
There are 50 characters containing the 宀 component (宀) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 5 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 7 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 7 in HSK 5, 12 in HSK 6, 13 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 家 (jiā, "home, family"), 定 (dìng, "to decide, fixed"), 实 (shí, "real, practical"), 它 (tā, "it"), 安 (ān, "safe, peace"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 宀 a radical or a component?
宀 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 宀 (roof) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 宀 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the 宀 radical," it means 宀 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the 宀 component," it means 宀 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 宀 appear in a character?
The 宀 component (宀) most commonly appears on the top of a character. Full position breakdown: top (50 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 宀 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include 宀 component characters?
Characters containing the 宀 component (宀) appear across 7 HSK levels: 5 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 7 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 7 in HSK 5, 12 in HSK 6, 13 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 13 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common 宀-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).