⼑

knife

dāo (dao1)

Radical no. 18 · 2 strokes (第 18 部首 · 2 画 dì 18 bùshǒu · 2 huà)

Radical ⼑ (dāo) — meaning: knife, 2 strokes.

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictographic depiction of a knife blade in oracle-bone script. It represents the shape of a cutting blade or sword.

Mnemonic: The vertical stroke with a slight curve at the top resembles a sharp blade poised to cut.

4 characters

Stroke count

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刀dāo
knife; blade; single-edged sword; cutlass (CL:把[ba3])
HSK 3
2 strokes
刁diāo
artful
2 strokes
刂dāo
Kangxi radical 18 (刀[dao1]) as a vertical side element, referred to as 立刀旁[li4 dao1 pang2] or 側刀旁|侧刀旁[ce4 dao1 pang2]
2 strokes
刃rèn
edge of blade
3 strokes

A few short questions. No score kept, no account needed.

Question 1 of 4

Which radical is the main radical of 刀?

Same stroke count or numerically adjacent in the 214-radical set.