耒

marks characters for plowing · Kangxi radical 127

marks characters for plowing, hoeing, and other work done with hand-held farm tools

耒 pictured a wooden digging stick or plow handle, with a bent top for the hands and short prongs or a crossbar near the bottom that the foot pressed into the soil. In the modern shape you can still read the picture: the top strokes are the handle and its grip, the long vertical is the shaft driven into the ground, and the three short crossing strokes are the branching foot and blade. Because such a tool was the basic implement of field work, 耒 sits on the left of characters like 耕, 耘 and 耙 for plowing, weeding and hoeing. In 诔 it is not a plow at all but only a sound clue.

耒 at a glance

Meaning

marks characters for plowing

Strokes

6

Characters

18

Role

Contributes meaning

Kangxi radical

127

Characters with 耒 (17 of 18)

Frequently asked questions