穴

Cave Radical (穴)

xué · 5 strokes

The cave radical (穴) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 20 characters related to cave and associated concepts. 20 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 11 in HSK 7-9, 2 in HSK 7-9. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 穴 is also a character component. As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For component-specific details including role analysis and position patterns, see the Cave Component (穴) page.

Cave Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count5
Total Characters20
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (11 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes10
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Cave Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

穿chuānto wear, 穿透

HSK 3 (2 characters)

空kōngempty, sky突tūsudden

HSK 4 (2 characters)

窗chuāngwindow究jiūresearch

HSK 5 (2 characters)

穷qióngpoor窄zhǎinarrow

HSK 7-9 (11 characters)

窝wōnest窑yáokiln窍qiàoopening, knack窒zhìto suffocate窘jiǒngembarrassed窜cuànto flee窟kūcave窿lónghole窥kuīto peep窃qièto steal穴xuécave

HSK 7-9 (2 characters)

窦Dòusurname Dou穹qióngvault

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the cave radical mean in Chinese characters?
The cave radical (穴) signals a semantic connection to cave-related concepts. When you see 穴 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves cave or associated ideas. With 20 characters using this radical, it is one of the more productive radicals in Chinese. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the cave radical?
There are 20 characters with the cave radical (穴) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 11 in HSK 7-9, 2 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental cave-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common cave radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the cave radical (穴) are: 空 (kōng, "empty, sky"), 究 (jiū, "research"), 突 (tū, "sudden"), 穿 (chuān, "to wear, 穿透"), 窗 (chuāng, "window"). These high-frequency characters are among the first cave-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include cave radical characters?
Characters with the cave radical (穴) appear across 6 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 11 in HSK 7-9, 2 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 11 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common cave-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on 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.