父

Father Radical (父)

fù · 4 strokes

The father radical (父) is a less common radical in Chinese. It appears in 4 characters related to father and associated concepts. 4 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 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: 父 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 Father Component (父) page.

Father Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count4
Total Characters4
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 2 (1 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Father Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

爸bàfather

HSK 2 (1 characters)

爷yégrandpa

HSK 4 (1 characters)

父fùfather

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

爹diēdad

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the father radical mean in Chinese characters?
The father radical (父) signals a semantic connection to father-related concepts. When you see 父 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves father or associated ideas. It appears in 4 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 father radical?
There are 4 characters with the father radical (父) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental father-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common father radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the father radical (父) are: 父 (fù, "father"), 爷 (yé, "grandpa"), 爸 (bà, "father"), 爹 (diē, "dad"). These high-frequency characters are among the first father-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include father radical characters?
Characters with the father radical (父) appear across 4 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 1 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common father-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.