子

Child Radical (子)

zǐ · 3 strokes

The child radical (子) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 15 characters related to child and associated concepts. 15 characters: 4 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9, 1 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: 子 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 Child Component (子) page.

Child Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters15
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (5 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Child Radical Characters

HSK 1 (4 characters)

子zǐson学xuéto learn字zìletter孩hái(bound form) child

HSK 3 (1 characters)

季jìseason

HSK 4 (2 characters)

存cúnto exist孙sūngrandson

HSK 6 (2 characters)

孤gūlone孕yùnpregnant

HSK 7-9 (5 characters)

孪luántwins孵fūbreeding孔kǒnghole孟mèngfirst month of a season孝xiàofilial piety or obedience

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

孛bèicomet

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the child radical mean in Chinese characters?
The child radical (子) signals a semantic connection to child-related concepts. When you see 子 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves child or associated ideas. With 15 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 child radical?
There are 15 characters with the child radical (子) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 4 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental child-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common child radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the child radical (子) are: 子 (zǐ, "son"), 学 (xué, "to learn"), 存 (cún, "to exist"), 字 (zì, "letter"), 孩 (hái, "(bound form) child"). These high-frequency characters are among the first child-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include child radical characters?
Characters with the child radical (子) appear across 6 HSK levels: 4 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 5 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common child-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.