羽
contributes the sense of feathers · Kangxi radical 124
contributes the sense of feathers, wings and flying in characters about birds and flight
The old graph drew a pair of bird's wings side by side, each with a shaft and the barbs branching off it. The modern 羽 keeps that pairing exactly: two identical halves, each a hooked stroke for the wing bone with two short slanting marks inside for the feathers. You can still see the picture in 翼 (wings), 翅 (wing), 翱 (to soar) and 翡 (kingfisher feathers). In a few characters like 塌, 榻 and 蹋 it is not a picture of feathers at all but simply part of a shared sound element written on top of it.
羽 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of feathers
- Strokes
- 6
- Characters
- 35
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 124
Characters with 羽 (32 of 35)
HSK 4 · 1
HSK 5 · 1
HSK 6 · 4
Beyond HSK · 26
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 羽 mean?
羽 means "contributes the sense of feathers". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 羽?
35 characters in this dictionary contain 羽, including ones at HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
Is 羽 a radical?
Yes — 羽 is Kangxi radical 124, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 羽 have?
羽 is written in 6 strokes.