釆
contributes the sense of telling things apart · Kangxi radical 165
contributes the sense of telling things apart, sorting out and making distinct
釆 is usually read as a picture of an animal's paw print: a central pad with the toe marks spread out on either side, the kind of trace a hunter reads to tell one beast from another — hence the sense of distinguishing. In the modern shape you can still see this as a small downward stroke on top (the pad or claw) with four short strokes splaying out below it, which is why 釆 looks so much like 米 rice with an extra tick added above. That reading is not certain, and some take the graph as grain being picked apart instead. The distinguishing sense shows plainly in 悉, knowing something in detail by sorting it out in the heart, and in 释, teasing a matter apart to explain it; in 釉 the component works mainly as a shape paired with the sound part 由.
釆 at a glance
- Meaning
- contributes the sense of telling things apart
- Strokes
- 7
- Characters
- 6
- Role
- Contributes meaning
- Kangxi radical
- 165
Characters with 釆 (3 of 6)
HSK 4 · 2
Beyond HSK · 1
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 釆 mean?
釆 means "contributes the sense of telling things apart". In the characters that contain it, it contributes meaning.
How many Chinese characters contain 釆?
6 characters in this dictionary contain 釆, including ones at HSK 4.
Is 釆 a radical?
Yes — 釆 is Kangxi radical 165, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 釆 have?
釆 is written in 7 strokes.