十

Ten Radical (十)

shí · 2 strokes

The ten radical (十) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 16 characters related to ten and associated concepts. 16 characters: 5 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 5 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: 十 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 Ten Component (十) page.

Ten Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count2
Total Characters16
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (5 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Ten Radical Characters

HSK 1 (5 characters)

午wǔ7th earthly branch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., noon, 5th solar month (6th June-6th July), year of the Horse千qiānthousand十shíten半bànhalf卖màito sell

HSK 3 (2 characters)

南nánsouth单dānbill

HSK 4 (1 characters)

博bó(bound form) abundant

HSK 5 (3 characters)

华huáabbr. for China升shēngto ascend协xiéto cooperate

HSK 7-9 (5 characters)

卉huìplants卑bēilow卓zhuóoutstanding卒zúsoldier啬sèstingy

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the ten radical mean in Chinese characters?
The ten radical (十) signals a semantic connection to ten-related concepts. When you see 十 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves ten or associated ideas. With 16 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 ten radical?
There are 16 characters with the ten radical (十) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 5 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 5 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental ten-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common ten radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the ten radical (十) are: 十 (shí, "ten"), 南 (nán, "south"), 单 (dān, "bill"), 华 (huá, "abbr. for China"), 半 (bàn, "half"). These high-frequency characters are among the first ten-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include ten radical characters?
Characters with the ten radical (十) appear across 5 HSK levels: 5 in HSK 1, 2 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 3 in HSK 5, 5 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 5 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common ten-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.