丶

Dot Radical (丶)

zhǔ · 1 strokes

The dot radical (丶) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 6 characters related to dot and associated concepts. 6 characters: 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 2 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: 丶 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 Dot Component (丶) page.

Dot Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count1
Total Characters6
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (2 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes5
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Dot Radical Characters

HSK 2 (1 characters)

为wéias (in the capacity of)

HSK 3 (1 characters)

主zhǔowner

HSK 4 (1 characters)

举jǔto lift

HSK 5 (1 characters)

义yì(Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利)

HSK 7-9 (2 characters)

丹dānred丸wánball

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the dot radical mean in Chinese characters?
The dot radical (丶) signals a semantic connection to dot-related concepts. When you see 丶 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves dot or associated ideas. It appears in 6 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 dot radical?
There are 6 characters with the dot radical (丶) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental dot-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common dot radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the dot radical (丶) are: 为 (wéi, "as (in the capacity of)"), 主 (zhǔ, "owner"), 义 (yì, "(Tw) Italy (abbr. for 義大利|义大利)"), 举 (jǔ, "to lift"), 丹 (dān, "red"). These high-frequency characters are among the first dot-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include dot radical characters?
Characters with the dot radical (丶) appear across 5 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 2 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common dot-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.