非

Wrong Radical (非)

fēi · 8 strokes

The wrong radical (非) is a less common radical in Chinese. It appears in 2 characters related to wrong and associated concepts. 2 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 5. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 非 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 Wrong Component (非) page.

Wrong Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count8
Total Characters2
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (1 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes12
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Wrong Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

非fēiabbr. for 非洲, Africa

HSK 5 (1 characters)

靠kàoto lean against or on

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the wrong radical mean in Chinese characters?
The wrong radical (非) signals a semantic connection to wrong-related concepts. When you see 非 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves wrong or associated ideas. It appears in 2 characters in the HSK character set. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the wrong radical?
There are 2 characters with the wrong radical (非) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 5. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental wrong-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common wrong radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the wrong radical (非) are: 非 (fēi, "abbr. for 非洲, Africa"), 靠 (kào, "to lean against or on"). These high-frequency characters are among the first wrong-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include wrong radical characters?
Characters with the wrong radical (非) appear across 2 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 5. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 1 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common wrong-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.