礻

Spirit Radical (礻)

shì · 4 strokes · Full form: 示

The spirit radical (礻) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 19 characters related to spirit and associated concepts. The standalone character form is 示 (4 strokes); the component form 礻 is used inside compound characters. 19 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 5 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 5 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: 礻 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 Spirit Component (礻) page.

Spirit Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count4 (礻)
Total Characters19
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 4 (5 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes9
Standalone Form示 (shì)
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Spirit Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

视shì(literary, or bound form) to look at

HSK 2 (1 characters)

票piàoticket

HSK 3 (1 characters)

礼lǐabbr. for 禮記|礼记, Classic of Rites

HSK 4 (5 characters)

社shè(bound form) society禁jīnto endure示shìto show祝zhùto pray for福fúabbr. for Fujian province 福建省

HSK 5 (2 characters)

神shénGod祸huòdisaster

HSK 6 (2 characters)

祥xiángauspicious祖zǔancestor

HSK 7-9 (5 characters)

禅chándhyana (Sanskrit)祷dǎoprayer祭jìto offer a sacrifice to (gods or ancestors)祈qíto implore祀sìto sacrifice

HSK 7-9 (2 characters)

祠císhrine禄lùgood fortune

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the spirit radical mean in Chinese characters?
The spirit radical (礻) signals a semantic connection to spirit-related concepts. When you see 礻 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves spirit or associated ideas. With 19 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 spirit radical?
There are 19 characters with the spirit radical (礻) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 5 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9, 2 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental spirit-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What is the difference between 礻 and 示?
示 is the standalone character form (shì, meaning "spirit"), while 礻 is the simplified radical form used as a component inside other characters. When writing characters that contain the spirit radical, you write 礻 rather than the full form 示. Both forms represent the same radical — the component form 礻 is adapted for compact positioning within a character's structure.
What are the most common spirit radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the spirit radical (礻) are: 神 (shén, "God"), 社 (shè, "(bound form) society"), 示 (shì, "to show"), 视 (shì, "(literary, or bound form) to look at"), 福 (fú, "abbr. for Fujian province 福建省"). These high-frequency characters are among the first spirit-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include spirit radical characters?
Characters with the spirit radical (礻) appear across 8 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 5 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 2 in HSK 6, 5 in HSK 7-9, 2 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 4 with 5 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common spirit-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.