走

Walk Radical (走)

zǒu · 7 strokes

The walk radical (走) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 11 characters related to walk and associated concepts. 11 characters: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 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: 走 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 Walk Component (走) page.

Walk Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count7
Total Characters11
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (2 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes11
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Walk Radical Characters

HSK 1 (2 characters)

起qǐto rise超chāoto exceed

HSK 2 (1 characters)

走zǒuto walk

HSK 3 (2 characters)

越yuègeneric word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods趣qùinteresting

HSK 4 (2 characters)

赶gǎnto overtake趟tāngto wade

HSK 5 (1 characters)

趋qūto hasten

HSK 6 (1 characters)

趁chènto avail oneself of

HSK 7-9 (2 characters)

赴fùto go赵zhàoone of the seven states during the Warring States period (476–220 BC)

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the walk radical mean in Chinese characters?
The walk radical (走) signals a semantic connection to walk-related concepts. When you see 走 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves walk or associated ideas. With 11 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 walk radical?
There are 11 characters with the walk radical (走) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 2 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental walk-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common walk radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the walk radical (走) are: 起 (qǐ, "to rise"), 走 (zǒu, "to walk"), 越 (yuè, "generic word for peoples or states of south China or south Asia at different historical periods"), 超 (chāo, "to exceed"), 赶 (gǎn, "to overtake"). These high-frequency characters are among the first walk-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include walk radical characters?
Characters with the walk radical (走) appear across 7 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 2 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 2 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 2 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common walk-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.