尸

Corpse Radical (尸)

shī · 3 strokes

The corpse radical (尸) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 22 characters related to corpse and associated concepts. 22 characters: 4 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 6 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 9 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: 尸 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 Corpse Component (尸) page.

Corpse Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters22
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (9 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes8
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Corpse Radical Characters

HSK 3 (4 characters)

层céngto pile on top of one another居jūto reside展zhǎnto spread out屋wū(bound form) house

HSK 4 (1 characters)

尽jǐnto the greatest extent

HSK 5 (6 characters)

属shǔcategory尺chǐa Chinese foot局júnarrow尾wěitail届jièto arrive at (place or time)屏bǐngto get rid of

HSK 6 (2 characters)

履lǚshoe屈qūbent

HSK 7-9 (9 characters)

屡lǚtime and again尼níBuddhist nun尿niàoto urinate尸shī(literary) person representing the deceased (during burial ceremonies)屉tìdrawer屠túto slaughter (animals for food)屑xièbits屁pìfart屎shǐfeces

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the corpse radical mean in Chinese characters?
The corpse radical (尸) signals a semantic connection to corpse-related concepts. When you see 尸 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves corpse or associated ideas. With 22 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 corpse radical?
There are 22 characters with the corpse radical (尸) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 4 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 6 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 9 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental corpse-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common corpse radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the corpse radical (尸) are: 展 (zhǎn, "to spread out"), 局 (jú, "narrow"), 尽 (jǐn, "to the greatest extent"), 属 (shǔ, "category"), 尼 (ní, "Buddhist nun"). These high-frequency characters are among the first corpse-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include corpse radical characters?
Characters with the corpse radical (尸) appear across 5 HSK levels: 4 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 6 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 9 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 9 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common corpse-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.