衤

Clothing Radical (衤)

yī · 4 strokes · Full form: 衣

The clothing radical (衤) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 30 characters related to clothing and associated concepts. The standalone character form is 衣 (4 strokes); the component form 衤 is used inside compound characters. 30 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 5 in HSK 3, 3 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 10 in HSK 7-9, 3 outside the HSK syllabus. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 衤 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 Clothing Component (衤) page.

Clothing Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count4 (衤)
Total Characters30
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (10 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes11
Standalone Form衣 (yī)
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Clothing Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

衣yīclothing

HSK 2 (2 characters)

裤kùpants表biǎoexterior surface

HSK 3 (5 characters)

被bèiquilt, by裙qúnskirt初chūbeginning衫shānshirt衬chènlining, shirt

HSK 4 (3 characters)

装zhuāngdress, install袜wàsocks袋dàibag, pocket

HSK 5 (3 characters)

补bǔto mend, to supplement裁cáito cut, to judge裹guǒto wrap around

HSK 6 (3 characters)

袖xiùsleeve裕yùabundant衰shuāi(bound form) to decay

HSK 7-9 (10 characters)

裂lièto split, to crack袍páorobe袱fú(bound form) a cloth used to wrap or cover裸luǒnaked袭xí(bound form) to raid裔yì(bound form) descendants袁yuánlong robe (old)衷zhōnginner feelings裳chánglower garment褒bāoto praise

Not in HSK (3 characters)

褪tuìto take off (clothes)褐hèbrown襄xiāng(literary) to assist

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the clothing radical mean in Chinese characters?
The clothing radical (衤) signals a semantic connection to clothing-related concepts. When you see 衤 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves clothing or associated ideas. With 30 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 clothing radical?
There are 27 characters with the clothing radical (衤) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 5 in HSK 3, 3 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 10 in HSK 7-9. Another 3 characters are outside the HSK syllabus. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental clothing-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What is the difference between 衤 and 衣?
衣 is the standalone character form (yī, meaning "clothing"), while 衤 is the simplified radical form used as a component inside other characters. When writing characters that contain the clothing radical, you write 衤 rather than the full form 衣. Both forms represent the same radical — the component form 衤 is adapted for compact positioning within a character's structure.
What are the most common clothing radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the clothing radical (衤) are: 被 (bèi, "quilt, by"), 表 (biǎo, "exterior surface"), 装 (zhuāng, "dress, install"), 初 (chū, "beginning"), 衣 (yī, "clothing"). These high-frequency characters are among the first clothing-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include clothing radical characters?
Characters with the clothing radical (衤) appear across 7 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 5 in HSK 3, 3 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 10 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 10 characters. Another 3 characters are outside the HSK syllabus. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common clothing-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.