米

Rice Radical (米)

mǐ · 6 strokes

The rice radical (米) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 22 characters related to rice and associated concepts. 22 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 5 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9, 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: 米 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 Rice Component (米) page.

Rice Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count6
Total Characters22
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (6 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes13
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Rice Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

米mǐuncooked rice

HSK 3 (2 characters)

糖tángsugar糕gāocake

HSK 4 (2 characters)

粗cū(of sth long) wide精jīngessence

HSK 5 (4 characters)

糊húto paste类lèikind粮liánggrain糟zāodregs

HSK 6 (5 characters)

粉fěnpowder粥zhōucongee粒lìgrain粘niánto glue粽zòngrice dumplings wrapped in leaves

HSK 7-9 (6 characters)

糙cāorough粹cuìpure粪fènmanure粤yuèCantonese籽zǐseeds粕pògrains in distilled liquor

HSK 7-9 (2 characters)

粱liángsorghum粟Sùsurname Su

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the rice radical mean in Chinese characters?
The rice radical (米) signals a semantic connection to rice-related concepts. When you see 米 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves rice or associated ideas. With 22 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 rice radical?
There are 22 characters with the rice radical (米) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 5 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9, 2 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental rice-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common rice radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the rice radical (米) are: 类 (lèi, "kind"), 精 (jīng, "essence"), 米 (mǐ, "uncooked rice"), 粮 (liáng, "grain"), 糊 (hú, "to paste"). These high-frequency characters are among the first rice-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include rice radical characters?
Characters with the rice radical (米) appear across 7 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 4 in HSK 5, 5 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9, 2 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 6 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common rice-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.