氏

Clan Radical (氏)

shì · 4 strokes

The clan radical (氏) is a less common radical in Chinese. It appears in 3 characters related to clan and associated concepts. 3 characters: 2 in HSK 4, 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: 氏 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 Clan Component (氏) page.

Clan Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count4
Total Characters3
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 4 (2 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes6
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Clan Radical Characters

HSK 4 (2 characters)

民mín(bound form) the people氏shì(bound form) family name

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

氓méng(literary) common people

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the clan radical mean in Chinese characters?
The clan radical (氏) signals a semantic connection to clan-related concepts. When you see 氏 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves clan or associated ideas. It appears in 3 characters in the HSK character set. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the clan radical?
There are 3 characters with the clan radical (氏) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental clan-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common clan radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the clan radical (氏) are: 民 (mín, "(bound form) the people"), 氏 (shì, "(bound form) family name"), 氓 (méng, "(literary) common people"). These high-frequency characters are among the first clan-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include clan radical characters?
Characters with the clan radical (氏) appear across 2 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 4 with 2 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common clan-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.