雨

Rain Radical (雨)

yǔ · 8 strokes

The rain radical (雨) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 14 characters related to rain and associated concepts. 14 characters: 3 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 5, 2 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: 雨 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 Rain Component (雨) page.

Rain Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count8
Total Characters14
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (6 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes15
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Rain Radical Characters

HSK 1 (3 characters)

雨yǔrain雪xuěsnow零língzero

HSK 3 (1 characters)

需xūto need

HSK 5 (2 characters)

雾wùfog震zhènto shake, to shock

HSK 6 (2 characters)

雷léithunder露lùdew, reveal

HSK 7-9 (6 characters)

霜shuāngfrost霉méimold霍huòsuddenly霞xiárosy clouds霸bàtyrant雹báohail

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the rain radical mean in Chinese characters?
The rain radical (雨) signals a semantic connection to rain-related concepts. When you see 雨 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves rain or associated ideas. With 14 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 rain radical?
There are 14 characters with the rain radical (雨) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 3 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental rain-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common rain radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the rain radical (雨) are: 需 (xū, "to need"), 雷 (léi, "thunder"), 露 (lù, "dew, reveal"), 雨 (yǔ, "rain"), 雪 (xuě, "snow"). These high-frequency characters are among the first rain-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include rain radical characters?
Characters with the rain radical (雨) appear across 5 HSK levels: 3 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 6 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common rain-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.