戈

Halberd Radical (戈)

gē · 4 strokes

The halberd radical (戈) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 11 characters related to halberd and associated concepts. 11 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 3 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 2 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: 戈 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 Halberd Component (戈) page.

Halberd Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count4
Total Characters11
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 3 (3 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes10
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Halberd Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

我wǒI

HSK 3 (3 characters)

成chéngto succeed戏xìtrick或huòmaybe

HSK 4 (2 characters)

戴dàito put on or wear (glasses, hat, gloves etc)戚qīgrief

HSK 5 (1 characters)

战zhànto fight

HSK 6 (2 characters)

截jiéto cut off (a length)戒jièto guard against

HSK 7-9 (2 characters)

戳chuōto jab戈gēdagger-axe

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the halberd radical mean in Chinese characters?
The halberd radical (戈) signals a semantic connection to halberd-related concepts. When you see 戈 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves halberd or associated ideas. With 11 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 halberd radical?
There are 11 characters with the halberd radical (戈) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 3 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 2 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental halberd-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common halberd radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the halberd radical (戈) are: 我 (wǒ, "I"), 成 (chéng, "to succeed"), 战 (zhàn, "to fight"), 或 (huò, "maybe"), 戏 (xì, "trick"). These high-frequency characters are among the first halberd-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include halberd radical characters?
Characters with the halberd radical (戈) appear across 6 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 3 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 2 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 3 with 3 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common halberd-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.