礻
marks words to do with gods · Kangxi radical · variant of 示
marks words to do with gods, spirits, ancestors, and the rituals and blessings that come from them
The full form 示 pictures an altar: a flat stone slab resting on a stand of legs, the table where offerings were laid out for gods and ancestors. Squeezed onto the left side of a character it becomes 礻, where the top dot and short stroke are the altar top and the vertical with its single small stroke is what remains of the stand — one leg has been dropped to save space. Seeing it, think "something happening at an altar": praying in 祈, offering in 祀, blessing in 祝, a spirit in 神. Because 礻 looks so much like the clothing radical 衤, keep the stroke count in mind — the altar has one dot on the right, the robe has two.
礻 at a glance
- Meaning
- marks words to do with gods
- Strokes
- 4
- Characters
- 44
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Variant of
- 示
Characters with 礻 (34 of 44)
HSK 4 · 3
HSK 5 · 1
HSK 6 · 2
Beyond HSK · 25
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 礻 mean?
礻 means "marks words to do with gods". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 礻?
44 characters in this dictionary contain 礻, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
How many strokes does 礻 have?
礻 is written in 4 strokes.