足

Foot Radical (足)

zú · 7 strokes

The foot radical (足) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 29 characters related to foot and associated concepts. 29 characters: 6 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 12 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: 足 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 Foot Component (足) page.

Foot Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count7
Total Characters29
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (12 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes14
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Foot Radical Characters

HSK 2 (6 characters)

足zúfoot跑pǎoto run路lùroad跟gēnfollow, heel跳tiàoto jump踢tīto kick

HSK 4 (1 characters)

距jùdistance

HSK 5 (2 characters)

践jiànto practice, to trample蹈dǎoto dance, to tread

HSK 6 (7 characters)

踩cǎito step on踏tàto step, to tread跌diēto fall跪guìto kneel踪zōngtrace, track跃yuèto jump蹲cún(dialect) to sprain one's foot or leg due to a sudden impact or landing

HSK 7-9 (12 characters)

跨kuàto stride, to cross踊yǒngleap蹦bèngto jump蹭cèngto rub against踹chuàito kick蹬dēngto step on跤jiāoa tumble趴pāto lie on one's stomach躁zàoimpatient跷qiāoto raise one's foot蹊qīused in 蹊蹺|蹊跷[qi1 qiao1]蹋tàto step on

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

趾zhǐtoe

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the foot radical mean in Chinese characters?
The foot radical (足) signals a semantic connection to foot-related concepts. When you see 足 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves foot or associated ideas. With 29 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 foot radical?
There are 29 characters with the foot radical (足) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 6 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 12 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental foot-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common foot radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the foot radical (足) are: 路 (lù, "road"), 足 (zú, "foot"), 跟 (gēn, "follow, heel"), 跑 (pǎo, "to run"), 跳 (tiào, "to jump"). These high-frequency characters are among the first foot-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include foot radical characters?
Characters with the foot radical (足) appear across 6 HSK levels: 6 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 7 in HSK 6, 12 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 12 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common foot-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.