一

One Radical (一)

yī · 1 strokes

The one radical (一) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 26 characters related to one and associated concepts. 26 characters: 8 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 4 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 6 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: 一 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 One Component (一) page.

One Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count1
Total Characters26
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (8 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes4
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All One Radical Characters

HSK 1 (8 characters)

一yīone不bùno上shàng(bound form) up下xiàdown东dōngeast两liǎngtwo三sānthree七qīseven

HSK 2 (2 characters)

万wànten thousand丈zhàngmeasure of length, ten Chinese feet (3.3 m)

HSK 3 (4 characters)

且qiěand世shìlife业yèline of business丢diūto lose

HSK 4 (4 characters)

丽líKorea专zhuānfor a particular person, occasion, purpose严yántight (closely sealed)与yǔand

HSK 5 (1 characters)

丑chǒuclown

HSK 6 (1 characters)

丧sāngmourning

HSK 7-9 (6 characters)

丙bǐngthird of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干丛cóngcluster丁dīngmale adult丐gàito beg for alms丘qiūmound丝sīsilk

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the one radical mean in Chinese characters?
The one radical (一) signals a semantic connection to one-related concepts. When you see 一 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves one or associated ideas. With 26 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 one radical?
There are 26 characters with the one radical (一) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 8 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 4 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental one-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common one radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the one radical (一) are: 一 (yī, "one"), 不 (bù, "no"), 上 (shàng, "(bound form) up"), 下 (xià, "down"), 与 (yǔ, "and"). These high-frequency characters are among the first one-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include one radical characters?
Characters with the one radical (一) appear across 7 HSK levels: 8 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 2, 4 in HSK 3, 4 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 8 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common one-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.