赤
contributes the sense of red · Kangxi radical 155
contributes the sense of red, and by extension glowing, bare, or exposed
The old graph for 赤 stacked a standing person 大 on top of a fire 火, showing a figure lit up red by flames. In the modern shape the person has been squashed into what now looks like 土 on top, while the fire below has flattened into a stroke with a leg on each side and a dot, so the bottom half of 赤 still reads as a fire spreading out under someone. The red-glow sense stays visible in 赧 (a face flushed with shame) and 赭 (ocher earth), while 赫 doubles 赤 for something blazingly bright.
赤 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of red
- Strokes
- 7
- Characters
- 6
- Role
- Contributes meaning and sound
- Kangxi radical
- 155
Characters with 赤
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 赤 mean?
赤 means "contributes the sense of red". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning and sound.
How many Chinese characters contain 赤?
6 characters in this dictionary contain 赤.
Is 赤 a radical?
Yes — 赤 is Kangxi radical 155, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 赤 have?
赤 is written in 7 strokes.