漢字の部首・パーツ図鑑Kanji Radicals & Components Cheat Sheet — Page 1 (Front)
The 7 Radical Positions (偏・旁・冠・脚・垂・繞・構), Left-Side (偏), Right-Side (旁) & Top Crown (冠) Radicals
1. The 7 Radical Positions (部首の7つの位置) — How Every Kanji Square Is Built
Shaded cells (★) mark shape-shifting radicals whose form changes inside a kanji!Teaches the core meaning category (water, person, tree, speech, metal, emotion, hand). Over 50% of compound kanji use a 偏!
Balances the left side; often shows an action tool (blade, power, striking hand), head/face, or town/place.
Sits like a crown or roof atop the kanji: plants, house roofs, cloth covers, bamboo, rain/weather, and caves.
Supports the kanji from underneath: walking legs, rising fire sparks, the bottom heart, dishes, and shells.
Drapes over the top and hangs down the left edge like a roof overhang, mountain cliff, sickbed, or doorway.
Descends on the left and sweeps underneath to the bottom-right like a winding road or running stride (written LAST!).
Surrounds the inner component on 2, 3, or all 4 sides like castle walls, double gates, streets, or rising steam.
2. Left-Side Radicals (偏 — Hen) — Core Meaning & Category Clues (34 Essential Radicals)
People & Body · Nature & Elements · Clothing, Shrines, Food, Hills & AnimalsA standing person (人) squeezed onto the left side. Resting by a tree (木) = 休む (rest)!
Left half of 行く (to go); has 2 diagonal top strokes (1 more than にんべん) for footsteps on a road.
Woman (女) + Child (子) = 好き (fondness / like). Appears in family & relationship kanji.
On the left, the horizontal stroke slants upward toward the right component.
Drawn small and high on the left (don’t confuse with giant 囗 which wraps the whole kanji!).
Sound waves rising from a mouth (口); signals speaking, reading, writing, or explaining.
Literally “standing heart” (立つ + 心): 心 turned vertical on the left for feelings & states of mind.
A 3-stroke slimmed hand (手); almost every kanji with 扌 is a physical hand action verb!
Foot (足) on the left: signals roads, jumping, dancing, kicking, or footprints.
A pictograph of an eye turned upright; appears in seeing, sleeping, blinking, and pupils.
Pictograph of an ear; used for hearing, listening carefully, and professional roles.
Looks identical to Moon (月), but in body kanji it is actually compressed 肉 (meat/flesh)!
Literally “three waters” (三水): 3 splashing droplets from 水. Always signals liquids or washing!
Literally “two waters” (二水): 2 frozen ice crystals! Fewer strokes than 氵 because water froze solid.
Two trees = 林 (woods); three trees = 森 (forest). Right sweep becomes a short tick on the left.
Campfire flames on the left: roasting, smoke, lamps, and dry fields cleared by fire (畑).
Bottom ground line slants sharply upward on the left; marks places, slopes, castles, and territory.
Sun (日) + Moon (月) = 明るい (bright). Signals time of day, weather, and brightness.
True Moon (月) appears in time, light, and calendar words (unlike にくづき body words!).
A rock beneath a cliff (厂); used for polishing (研く), sand, breaking, and solid certainty.
Metal nuggets gleaming underground; used for silver, iron, mirrors, needles, bells, and coins.
Katakana ノ + 木 = “ノ木” (nogi)! A ripe grain stalk bowing at the top; used in autumn & harvests.
Harvested rice kernels scattered around a stalk; appears in flour, grains, and refined energy.
Twisted silk threads: connects paper, pictures, colors, tying knots, and continuing lines.
漢字の部首・パーツ図鑑Kanji Radicals & Components Cheat Sheet — Page 2 (Back)
Culture Left Radicals, Right (旁), Crowns (冠), Legs (脚), Cliffs (垂), Wraps (繞), Enclosures (構), Shape-Shifters & 4 Classic Lookalike Traps
3. Left Culture/Animal Radicals (偏) & Right-Side Radicals (旁 — Tsukuri)
Includes ころもへん (衤) vs. しめすへん (礻) and こざとへん (Left 阝) vs. おおざと (Right 阝)Has TWO little ticks on the right (5 strokes total) — think “2 sleeves on a shirt” to beat しめすへん (礻)!
Has ONE tick on the right (4 strokes total, like katakana ネ) — sacred shrines, gods, blessings, and festivals!
Left-side form of 食べる: meals, drinks, restaurants/halls (館), and feeding animals.
ALWAYS on the LEFT! Derived from 阜 (terraced hill/steps) — explains stairs/floors (階), sun-lit slopes (陽), and walls (院).
A curved archery bow: pulling (引く), strong tension (強い), weak slack (弱い), and stretching (張る).
Top-down view of a two-wheeled cart; used for wheels, rolling over, light vehicles, and transport.
In old Japan, relay stations (駅) kept fresh horses! Also appears in parking (駐) and testing (験).
Horns of an ox; cattle were prized possessions, giving rise to 物 (thing) and 特 (special).
A curved animal spine & paws from 犬: cats (猫), monkeys (猿), hunting (狩り), and narrow dens (狭い).
Ancient cowrie shells were currency! Any kanji with 貝 is almost always about money, trade, or gifts.
Literally “standing sword” (立刀): 刀 upright on the right for splitting, carving, or dividing.
A flexed arm muscle! Heavy[おも]い + 力 = 動く (move); 亻 + 動く = 働く (work)!
ALWAYS on the RIGHT! Derived from 邑 (walled town) — explains capitals (都), districts (部・郡), and post (郵).
Nicknamed のぶん because it looks like katakana ノ + 文! A hand holding a teaching rod: 教える, 数える.
A person opening their mouth wide to yawn, sing (歌), blow air (吹く), or crave something (欲しい).
Looks like a big shell (大貝), but actually depicts a human head above two legs: head, face, neck, wish!
A woodcutter’s axe! Cutting fresh wood from a standing tree gives 新しい (new) and 折る (snap).
Birds perching on a tree (木) = 集まる (gather)! Distinguishes 8-stroke 隹 from 11-stroke 鳥.
4. Crowns (冠), Legs (脚), Cliffs (垂), Wraps (繞) & Enclosures (構)
Stroke Order Rule: Write 構 (except bottom of 囗) BEFORE the inside; write 繞 (辶・廴) LAST!Two sprouting grass shoots (3 strokes: horizontal bar + two vertical cuts). Signals flowers, tea, leaves, and medicine!
Named ウ冠 because its 3 strokes (top chimney dot + roof) look just like katakana ウ! Woman under a roof = 安い (peaceful/cheap).
Named ワ冠 because its 2 strokes (NO top dot!) look like katakana ワ. Covers things like a cloth.
Drooping bamboo leaves: ancient writing slips, boxes, flutes, and abacuses were made of bamboo!
Raindrops falling from clouds: snow, clouds, lightning, electricity (電), and frost.
A roof (宀) with an opening carved underneath: sky (空), window (窓), and deep research (究).
Literally “cooking-pot lid” (鍋蓋): a knob on top of a flat lid!
Person (人) stretched wide at the top like a peaked roof covering people coming together.
Two striding legs at the bottom of a kanji: walking ahead (先), older brother (兄), and seeing (見る).
Fire (火) transformed into 4 roaring flames underneath a cooking pot: heat, black soot, and boiling!
Full heart (心) resting at the bottom: thinking (思う), forgetting (忘れる), and feeling anxious (急ぐ).
A flat serving dish at the base: heaping food onto a plate (盛る) or a washbasin (盆).
Cowrie shell currency supporting the bottom: buying (買う), lending (貸す), expensive (貴), and staff (員).
Full 衣 at the bottom of a kanji: front/surface of clothing (表), inside lining (裏), and bags (袋).
Has a top chimney dot (unlike 厂!) from 麻: shops (店), spacious halls (広い), gardens (庭), and seats (席).
NO top dot (2 strokes): a sheer mountain cliff where wild geese (雁) fly — plains (原), thick rock (厚い), and history (歴).
广 + 2 sweat drops on the left = a person resting in a sickbed! Every kanji with 疒 relates to health/pain.
Represents either a seated figure or a building roof: shops/roofs (屋), bureaus (局), and residing (居る).
A single-leaf sliding or swinging door (戸): places (所), turning back (戻る), and chambers (房).
A winding road (written LAST after the inside component!). Signals paths, near/far, passing through, and sending.
Named after 延びる (extend); has no top dot (unlike 辶!) and appears in 建てる (build) and 延びる.
The final stroke of 走る stretches all the way under the right component to carry it forward!
The right leg of 鬼 sweeps wide underneath to hold the right-hand component.
Surrounds all 4 sides! Write left, top+right, then fill the inside BEFORE closing the bottom horizontal wall.
Two saloon-style swinging doors: Sun peeking through gates = 間 (space/time); Ear at the gate = 聞く (hear/ask)!
行く splits open in the middle to wrap around town squares (街), arts/techniques (術), and guards (衛).
Curling clouds of steam or vital energy (気) wrapping over the top and sweeping down the right.
A box open on the right side that holds arrows (医 medicine), districts (区), or pairs (匹).
5. Shape-Shifter Radicals (変形する部首)
| Kanji → Radical | Japanese Name | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 水 → 氵 | さんずい (三水)Water / Liquid | 海・泳ぐ・洗う・湯 |
| 火 → 灬 | れっか / れんが (烈火)Fire / Heat | 熱い・黒・点・照らす |
| 心 → 忄 | りっしんべん (立心偏)Heart / Emotion | 忙しい・怖い・慣れる・悔やむ |
| 手 → 扌 | てへん (手偏)Hand / Action | 持つ・拾う・押す・指 |
| 刀 → 刂 | りっとう (立刀)Sword / Blade | 割る・別れる・刻む・前 |
| 人 → 亻 / 儿 | にんべん / ひとあしPerson / Legs | 休む・体 / 先・兄 |
| 衣 → 衤 | ころもへん (衣偏)Clothing / Sleeve | 袖・袋・被る・補う |
| 示 → 礻 | しめすへん (示偏)Altar / Spirit | 社・神・祝う・福 |
| 草 → 艹 | くさかんむり (草冠)Grass / Plants | 花・茶・薬・葉 |
| 肉 → 月 | にくづき (肉月)Flesh / Body Organ | 肌・胸・腹・胃 |
6. ⚠️ The 4 Classic Lookalike Traps (間違えやすい部首の罠)
Test-Favorite Pairs💡 Same shape, totally different origins! Left 阝 = Hill/Steps (階 floor, 陽 sunlit slope); Right 阝 = Town/District (都 metropolis, 部 department).
💡 Count the right-side ticks! 1 tick (礻, 4 strokes) = 1 Spirit/Altar (神・社); 2 ticks (衤, 5 strokes) = 2 Shirt Sleeves (袖・袋).
💡 3 drops (氵) = splashing liquid water (海・泳ぐ); 2 drops (冫) = water frozen into cold ice crystals (冷たい・凍る)!
💡 Why is “moon” in stomach (胃), chest (胸), and arm (腕)? Because it isn’t the moon — it’s 肉 (flesh) wearing a 月 disguise!