糸
marks a character as having to do with silk · Kangxi radical 120
marks a character as having to do with silk, thread, cord, and by extension tying, binding and textile work
糸 began as a picture of a skein of silk: two or three filaments twisted together into a loop, with the loose ends hanging free at the bottom. In the modern printed form you can still read that picture — the upper 幺 part is the twisted coils of thread, and the three short strokes underneath are the frayed ends of the skein. When it sits at the bottom of a character, as in 素, 紫, 累 or 繁, it is the whole hank of silk; the squeezed side form 纟 is the same skein written narrow. Characters built on it name kinds of cloth and colour of dyed silk (素, 紫, 綦), or the act of fastening something with cord (系, 紧, 縻, 絷).
糸 at a glance
- Meaning
- marks a character as having to do with silk
- Strokes
- 6
- Characters
- 28
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 120
Characters with 糸 (18 of 28)
HSK 4 · 1
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 糸 mean?
糸 means "marks a character as having to do with silk". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 糸?
28 characters in this dictionary contain 糸, including ones at HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
Is 糸 a radical?
Yes — 糸 is Kangxi radical 120, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 糸 have?
糸 is written in 6 strokes.