卜

Divination Radical (卜)

bǔ · 2 strokes

The divination radical (卜) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 7 characters related to divination and associated concepts. 7 characters: 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 5, 3 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: 卜 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 Divination Component (卜) page.

Divination Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count2
Total Characters7
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (3 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes6
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Divination Radical Characters

HSK 3 (1 characters)

卡kǎto stop

HSK 5 (2 characters)

占zhànto observe卧wòto lie

HSK 7-9 (3 characters)

卜bǔ(bound form) to divine卦guàdivinatory diagram卤lǔto stew in soy sauce and spices

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

卢Lúsurname Lu

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the divination radical mean in Chinese characters?
The divination radical (卜) signals a semantic connection to divination-related concepts. When you see 卜 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves divination or associated ideas. It appears in 7 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 divination radical?
There are 7 characters with the divination radical (卜) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental divination-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common divination radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the divination radical (卜) are: 卡 (kǎ, "to stop"), 占 (zhàn, "to observe"), 卢 (Lú, "surname Lu"), 卧 (wò, "to lie"), 卜 (bǔ, "(bound form) to divine"). These high-frequency characters are among the first divination-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include divination radical characters?
Characters with the divination radical (卜) appear across 4 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 3 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common divination-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.