禾

Grain Radical (禾)

hé · 5 strokes

The grain radical (禾) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 31 characters related to grain and associated concepts. 31 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 6 in HSK 5, 4 in HSK 6, 12 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: 禾 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 Grain Component (禾) page.

Grain Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count5
Total Characters31
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (12 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes11
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Grain Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

租zūto hire

HSK 3 (2 characters)

种zhǒngseed秋qiūautumn

HSK 4 (6 characters)

科kēbranch of study稍shāosomewhat程chéngrule积jīto amass秀xiù(bound form) refined秒miǎosecond (unit of time)

HSK 5 (6 characters)

稳wěnsettled称chènto fit秘mìsee 秘魯|秘鲁移yíto move私sīpersonal税shuìtaxes

HSK 6 (4 characters)

稿gǎomanuscript稻dàopaddy稼jiàto sow grain秩zhì(literary) salary according to rank

HSK 7-9 (12 characters)

秉bǐngto grasp秤chēngto weigh (variant of 稱|称)稠chóudense禾hé(bound form) grain plant秽huì(bound form) dirty稽jīto inspect穆mùsolemn秦qínQin dynasty (221–207 BC) of the first emperor 秦始皇秃tūbald (lacking hair or feathers)稀xīsparse秧yāngsapling稚zhìinfantile

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the grain radical mean in Chinese characters?
The grain radical (禾) signals a semantic connection to grain-related concepts. When you see 禾 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves grain or associated ideas. With 31 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 grain radical?
There are 31 characters with the grain radical (禾) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 6 in HSK 5, 4 in HSK 6, 12 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental grain-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common grain radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the grain radical (禾) are: 种 (zhǒng, "seed"), 科 (kē, "branch of study"), 程 (chéng, "rule"), 称 (chèn, "to fit"), 积 (jī, "to amass"). These high-frequency characters are among the first grain-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include grain radical characters?
Characters with the grain radical (禾) appear across 6 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 6 in HSK 4, 6 in HSK 5, 4 in HSK 6, 12 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 12 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common grain-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.