丨
contributes nothing but a bare upright stroke · Kangxi radical 2
contributes nothing but a bare upright stroke, serving as the vertical spine or dividing line inside a character rather than a picture of anything
丨 is simply a line drawn from top to bottom — one of the most abstract shapes in the writing system, with no object behind it; traditionally it was read as something that pierces or connects up and down, but its origin is really just the stroke itself. That is why it turns up in so many otherwise unrelated characters: it is the stem in 十 and 卜, the standing peaks in 山, the hanging cloth in 巾, the upright foot in 止, the shrunken knife in 刂, and the compressed heart in 忄. When you see it listed as a component, treat it as a bookkeeping label for a vertical stroke, not as a meaning the character inherits.
丨 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes nothing but a bare upright stroke
- Strokes
- 1
- Characters
- 40
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 2
Characters with 丨 (34 of 40)
HSK 2 · 1
HSK 4 · 5
HSK 5 · 1
HSK 6 · 3
Beyond HSK · 19
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 丨 mean?
丨 means "contributes nothing but a bare upright stroke". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 丨?
40 characters in this dictionary contain 丨, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 2, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
Is 丨 a radical?
Yes — 丨 is Kangxi radical 2, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 丨 have?
丨 is written in 1 stroke.