水

Water Component (水)

shuǐ · 3 strokes

The water component (水) 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 bottom of a character. 5 characters: 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 水 is also a Kangxi radical (water). 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 Water Radical (氵) page.

Water Component at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters5
Primary RoleStructural
Typical Positionbottom
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 3 (2 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All Water Component Characters

HSK 3 (2 characters)

泉quánspring (small stream)冰bīngice

HSK 4 (1 characters)

永yǒngforever

HSK 5 (1 characters)

益yìbenefit

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

尿niàoto urinate

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the water component (水)?
There are 5 characters containing the water component (水) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 益 (yì, "benefit"), 永 (yǒng, "forever"), 冰 (bīng, "ice"), 泉 (quán, "spring (small stream)"), 尿 (niào, "to urinate"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 水 a radical or a component?
水 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 水 (water) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 水 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the water radical," it means 水 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the water component," it means 水 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
Where does 水 appear in a character?
The water component (水) most commonly appears on the bottom of a character. Full position breakdown: bottom (2 characters), right side (1 characters), top (1 characters), inner (enclosed) part (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 水 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include water component characters?
Characters containing the water component (水) appear across 4 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 3 with 2 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common water-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).