田

Field Radical (田)

tián · 5 strokes

The field radical (田) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 20 characters related to field and associated concepts. 20 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 7 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: 田 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 Field Component (田) page.

Field Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count5
Total Characters20
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (7 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes9
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Field Radical Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

男nánmale电diànlightning

HSK 2 (2 characters)

留liúto stay, to keep画huàto draw, painting

HSK 3 (1 characters)

界jièworld, boundary

HSK 4 (2 characters)

由yóuto follow申shēnold name for Shanghai 上海[Shang4 hai3]

HSK 5 (2 characters)

番fāntime, foreign甲jiǎfirst of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]

HSK 6 (3 characters)

田tiánfield略lüèstrategy, slightly畅chàngfree

HSK 7-9 (7 characters)

畏wèito fear畔pànbank, side畜chùlivestock畴chóufield, category畸jīdeform甸diànsuburbs or outskirts疆jiāngborder

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

甫fǔ(classical) barely

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the field radical mean in Chinese characters?
The field radical (田) signals a semantic connection to field-related concepts. When you see 田 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves field or associated ideas. With 20 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 field radical?
There are 20 characters with the field radical (田) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 7 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental field-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common field radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the field radical (田) are: 由 (yóu, "to follow"), 电 (diàn, "lightning"), 界 (jiè, "world, boundary"), 留 (liú, "to stay, to keep"), 男 (nán, "male"). These high-frequency characters are among the first field-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include field radical characters?
Characters with the field radical (田) appear across 8 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 7 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 7 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common field-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.