匸

Hiding Radical (匸)

xì · 2 strokes

The hiding radical (匸) is a less common radical in Chinese. It appears in 3 characters related to hiding and associated concepts. 3 characters: 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 5, 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: 匸 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 Hiding Component (匸) page.

Hiding Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count2
Total Characters3
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 3 (1 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes6
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Hiding Radical Characters

HSK 3 (1 characters)

区qūarea

HSK 5 (1 characters)

匹pǐ(bound form) matching

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

匿nìto hide

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the hiding radical mean in Chinese characters?
The hiding radical (匸) signals a semantic connection to hiding-related concepts. When you see 匸 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves hiding or associated ideas. It appears in 3 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 hiding radical?
There are 3 characters with the hiding radical (匸) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental hiding-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common hiding radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the hiding radical (匸) are: 区 (qū, "area"), 匹 (pǐ, "(bound form) matching"), 匿 (nì, "to hide"). These high-frequency characters are among the first hiding-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include hiding radical characters?
Characters with the hiding radical (匸) appear across 3 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 3 with 1 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common hiding-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.