JLPT · Level 90
45 words
Japanese word
部首
Pronunciation
Romajibushu
Meaning
- nounradical
Example
漢字の部首を調べます。kan ji no bu shu o shira be ma su
I look up the radical of the kanji.
More examples
辞書では、漢字を部首の画数で分類していることがあります。ji sho de wa kan ji o bu shu no kaku sū de bun rui shi te i ru ko to ga a ri ma su
Dictionaries sometimes classify kanji by the stroke count of their radicals.
Core concept
Identifies the standard part of a kanji used to classify and look up the character, often giving a clue to its meaning.
Common phrases
部首で分類するbu shu de bun rui su ru
classify by radical
部首の画数bu shu no kaku sū
stroke count of a radical
Definition in Japanese
漢字を分類したり検索したりする際に基準とする、字形の一部をなす構成要素。kan ji o bun rui shi ta ri ken saku shi ta ri su ru sai ni ki jun to su ru ji kei no ichi bu o na su kō sei yō so
Word origin
部首 (bushu) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 部 (bu, "section") and 首 (shu, "head"), naming the leading component used to group kanji.
Usage tips
- In kanji dictionaries, a radical is an indexing component rather than every visible part of a character, and the traditional system contains 214 radicals.