⺮

⺮ Component (⺮)

The ⺮ component (⺮) 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 ⺮ and associated concepts to the characters where it appears. It typically appears on the top of a character. 31 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 2, 5 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 6 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

⺮ Component at a Glance

Total Characters31
Primary RoleSemantic (meaning)
Typical Positiontop
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (8 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes13
Also a Kangxi Radical?No

All ⺮ Component Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

第dì(prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth")

HSK 2 (4 characters)

等děngto wait for笑xiàoto laugh笔bǐwriting brush篮lánbasket (receptacle)

HSK 3 (5 characters)

简jiǎnsimple答dābound form having the same meaning as the free word 答, used in 答應|答应, 答理 etc筷kuàichopstick算suànto regard as箱xiāngbox

HSK 4 (6 characters)

管guǎnto take care (of)签qiānto sign one's name篇piānsheet笨bènstupid符fúmark籍jí(bound form) book

HSK 5 (1 characters)

筑zhùshort name for Guiyang 貴陽|贵阳[Gui4 yang2]

HSK 6 (6 characters)

策cèpolicy箭jiànarrow筹chóuchip (in gambling)笼lóngenclosing frame made of bamboo, wire etc筛shāi(bound form) a sieve筒tǒngtube

HSK 7-9 (8 characters)

竿gānpole篷péngsail笛díflute簇cù(bound form) to cluster筋jīnmuscle筐kuāngbasket筝zhēngsee 古箏|古筝簸bǒto winnow

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the ⺮ component (⺮)?
There are 31 characters containing the ⺮ component (⺮) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 2, 5 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 6 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 第 (dì, "(prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth")"), 等 (děng, "to wait for"), 管 (guǎn, "to take care (of)"), 笑 (xiào, "to laugh"), 算 (suàn, "to regard as"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is ⺮ a radical or a component?
⺮ is a component but not one of the 214 Kangxi radicals. Kangxi radicals are the traditional set used to classify and look up characters in dictionaries. Components are the broader set of building blocks that make up all Chinese characters — including radicals, phonetic elements, and structural pieces. While ⺮ is not used as a dictionary classifier, it plays an important role as a semantic element in the 31 characters where it appears.
Where does ⺮ appear in a character?
The ⺮ component (⺮) most commonly appears on the top of a character. Full position breakdown: top (31 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see ⺮ in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include ⺮ component characters?
Characters containing the ⺮ component (⺮) appear across 7 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 2, 5 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 6 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 8 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common ⺮-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).