巛

contributes the sense of flowing water — streams · Kangxi radical 47

contributes the sense of flowing water — streams, rivers, currents — though in some characters it is only a look-alike shape

The old graph was three wavy lines drawn side by side, the banks of a channel with water running between them; that picture survives as the ordinary character 川 'river'. When it sits at the top of a character the lines curl into the three hooked strokes 巛, still readable as ripples, as in 巡 (going the rounds along a waterway) and 邕 (water surrounding a settlement). Be careful, though: the same three strokes are often just a borrowed outline, as in 巢, where they are the bristling top of a nest, and in 甾 or 巤, where they draw hair or a container's mouth rather than water.

巛 at a glance

Meaning

contributes the sense of flowing water — streams

Strokes

3

Characters

12

Role

Contributes meaning

Kangxi radical

47

Characters with 巛 (9 of 12)

Frequently asked questions