contributes the sense of a person kneeling or bowed down · Kangxi radical 26

contributes the sense of a person kneeling or bowed down, and by extension submission, and the sealed tally pressed by an official

The old graph showed a person in profile seated on folded legs: a curved back and head above, knees drawn up, legs tucked underneath. The modern 卩 keeps that outline — the short stroke and hook at the top are the bent upper body, and the long vertical drop is the folded legs. You can see the kneeling figure in 即 (someone kneeling up close to a bowl of food), 印 (a hand pressing down on a kneeling person, hence pressing a seal), and 报 and 服 (a hand seizing a kneeling person, hence submission and being subdued). In 卯 and 卵 the same shape appears for unrelated reasons and carries no kneeling sense.

卩 at a glance

Meaning
contributes the sense of a person kneeling or bowed down
Strokes
2
Characters
15
Role
Contributes meaning
Kangxi radical
26

Characters with 卩 (12 of 15)

HSK 1 · 1

HSK 2 · 1

HSK 3 · 1

HSK 4 · 3

HSK 6 · 1

Beyond HSK · 5

Frequently asked questions

What does the component 卩 mean?

卩 means "contributes the sense of a person kneeling or bowed down". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.

How many Chinese characters contain 卩?

15 characters in this dictionary contain 卩, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 2, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 6.

Is 卩 a radical?

Yes — 卩 is Kangxi radical 26, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.

How many strokes does 卩 have?

卩 is written in 2 strokes.