匕
contributes either the sense of a spoon or ladle · Kangxi radical 21
contributes either the sense of a spoon or ladle, or a squatting or turned-around human figure, depending on the character
The graph drew a ladle: a shallow bowl on a handle, which survives in the modern shape as the short stroke crossing a long curved stroke that hooks up at the end — the bowl at the top, the handle sweeping down. This spoon sense is still visible in 匙 (spoon), 鬯 (wine scooped for offerings), and 旨 (a spoon over a mouth, tasting something good). A separate old graph, a person drawn bent over or facing the other way, was written almost identically and merged with it, which is why 匕 stands for a human figure in 化 (one person upright, one upside down: change), 北 (two people back to back), 老, and 尼, and marks the female animal in 牝.
匕 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes either the sense of a spoon or ladle
- Strokes
- 2
- Characters
- 27
- Role
- Contributes meaning and sound
- Kangxi radical
- 21
Characters with 匕 (24 of 27)
HSK 1 · 3
HSK 3 · 1
Beyond HSK · 13
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 匕 mean?
匕 means "contributes either the sense of a spoon or ladle". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning and sound.
How many Chinese characters contain 匕?
27 characters in this dictionary contain 匕, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 2, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 6.
Is 匕 a radical?
Yes — 匕 is Kangxi radical 21, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 匕 have?
匕 is written in 2 strokes.