八

Eight Radical (八)

bā · 2 strokes

The eight radical (八) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 15 characters related to eight and associated concepts. 15 characters: 5 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 6, 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: 八 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 Eight Component (八) page.

Eight Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count2
Total Characters15
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (5 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Eight Radical Characters

HSK 1 (5 characters)

兴xīngto rise公gōngpublic六liùsix八bāeight关guānmountain pass

HSK 3 (4 characters)

共gòngcommon其qíhis典diǎncanon养yǎngto raise (animals)

HSK 4 (1 characters)

具jùtool

HSK 6 (3 characters)

兵bīngsoldiers兼jiāndouble兰lánabbr. for Lanzhou 蘭州|兰州, Gansu

HSK 7-9 (2 characters)

兽shòubeast兹zī(literary) this

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the eight radical mean in Chinese characters?
The eight radical (八) signals a semantic connection to eight-related concepts. When you see 八 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves eight or associated ideas. With 15 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 eight radical?
There are 15 characters with the eight radical (八) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 5 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 6, 2 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental eight-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common eight radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the eight radical (八) are: 其 (qí, "his"), 公 (gōng, "public"), 关 (guān, "mountain pass"), 共 (gòng, "common"), 具 (jù, "tool"). These high-frequency characters are among the first eight-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include eight radical characters?
Characters with the eight radical (八) appear across 5 HSK levels: 5 in HSK 1, 4 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 6, 2 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 5 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common eight-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.