Ever stared at a character like 愛 and wondered where to start? Traditional Chinese characters aren’t random squiggles – they’re built from reusable parts we call radicals and components. Once you recognise a handful of these building blocks, new characters stop looking like scary puzzles and start looking like familiar faces. This list hands you around 90 of the most common radicals, components, and quick stroke-order tips so you can write neatly from the start, not just copy shapes.
We’ve kept it practical – no dusty textbook theory. Each entry gives you a clear meaning and a natural example sentence that shows the part in action, so you can see how it ties into real characters. Whether you’re learning to write by hand or just want to decode characters faster, this is a reference you’ll come back to again and again.
Ready to make those tricky characters feel a lot friendlier? Scroll to the bottom of the article for the free printable Traditional Chinese radicals vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Traditional Chinese radicals flashcards.
If this topic helped, explore more in our Traditional Chinese learning section. it’s the easiest way to keep building related vocabulary without jumping around the web.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve got 口 from 囗, or 扌 from 才? The quick quiz below gives you a friendly nudge toward the radicals and components that still need a second look.
Keep building your Traditional Chinese
Choose a practical next step when you are ready.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 糸 | mì | silk | 系 |
| 纟 | sī | silk (variant) | 红 |
| 耒 | lěi | plow | 耕 |
| 舟 | zhōu | boat | 船 |
| 艹 | cǎo | grass (variant) | 花 |
| 衤 | yī | clothes (variant) | 被 |
| 讠 | yán | speech (variant) | 说 |
| 车 | chē | vehicle | 轮 |
| 辶 | chuò | walk (variant) | 远 |
| 钅 | jīn | metal (variant) | 铁 |
| 门 | mén | gate | 间 |
| 阝 | fù | mound (variant) | 院 |
| 隹 | zhuī | bird | 集 |
| 雨 | yǔ | rain | 雪 |
| 青 | qīng | blue/green | 清 |
| 非 | fēi | wrong | 靠 |
| 面 | miàn | face | 面 |
| 革 | gé | leather | 鞋 |
| 韦 | wéi | tanned leather | 围 |
| 饣 | shí | food (variant) | 饭 |
| 骨 | gǔ | bone | 體 |
| 鬼 | guǐ | ghost | 魂 |
| 鱼 | yú | fish | 鲜 |
| 鸟 | niǎo | bird | 鸡 |
| 鹿 | lù | deer | 鹿 |
