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部首 (bù shǒu) — (noun) radical of a Chinese character (used for dictionary lookup and semantic classification)

Definition

A 部首 (bùshǒu) is the semantic component of a Chinese character, used as the head of a dictionary entry to group and look up characters. Every character has one; it is not the same as a 偏旁, which refers to any side component of a character.

noun
radical of a Chinese character (used for dictionary lookup and semantic classification)

Examples

  • ，部首。
    Chá zì diǎn de shí hou, nǐ xiān yào què dìng zì de bù shǒu.
    When looking up a dictionary, you first need to determine the character's radical.
  • ，部首。
    Zhè ge zì rú guǒ bù zhī dào dú yīn, kě yǐ àn bù shǒu lái zhǎo.
    If you don't know the pronunciation of this character, you can find it by radical.
  • 部首。
    Xué hàn zì shí jì shú cháng yòng de bù shǒu huì bāng hěn dà máng.
    Memorizing common radicals when learning characters will help a lot.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

部bùsection
首shǒufirst

部 (section) and 首 (first) combine to name the component that begins a group of characters.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape comes from an old drawing of an animal's head, showing a long mouth and horns; the version with hair became 首.

Open 首 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.