广

Shelter Radical (广)

guǎng · 3 strokes

The shelter radical (广) is a frequently seen radical in Chinese. It appears in 26 characters related to shelter and associated concepts. 26 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 8 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9, 3 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: 广 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 Shelter Component (广) page.

Shelter Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters26
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 4 (8 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes9
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Shelter Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

床chuángbed

HSK 2 (1 characters)

店diànshop

HSK 3 (2 characters)

康kānghealthy应yīngshould, to respond

HSK 4 (8 characters)

度dùdegree, to measure座zuòseat庭tíngcourtyard, family麻máhemp, numb庆qìngto celebrate序xùorder, sequence广guǎngwide, broad底de(equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)

HSK 5 (2 characters)

库kùwarehouse府fǔgovernment office

HSK 6 (3 characters)

廊lángcorridor庄zhuāngvillage, manor庞páng(bound form) huge

HSK 7-9 (6 characters)

废fèiwaste, to abandon庙miàotemple廓kuò(bound form) extensive廉liánincorruptible庸yōngordinary庇bìto protect

HSK 7-9 (3 characters)

庵ānhut庶shù(bound form) ordinary庐Lúsurname Lu

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the shelter radical mean in Chinese characters?
The shelter radical (广) signals a semantic connection to shelter-related concepts. When you see 广 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves shelter 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 shelter radical?
There are 26 characters with the shelter radical (广) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 8 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9, 3 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental shelter-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common shelter radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the shelter radical (广) are: 应 (yīng, "should, to respond"), 度 (dù, "degree, to measure"), 府 (fǔ, "government office"), 广 (guǎng, "wide, broad"), 底 (de, "(equivalent to 的 as possessive particle)"). These high-frequency characters are among the first shelter-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include shelter radical characters?
Characters with the shelter radical (广) appear across 8 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 8 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 6 in HSK 7-9, 3 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 4 with 8 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common shelter-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.