bristle

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictograph depicting the bristles or quills of a porcupine or hedgehog. The three perpendicular strokes reflect how such bristles protrude and protect.

Mnemonic: Three strokes like three porcupine quills standing upright to protect.

• 彡shān🔊

  "bristle" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 59), occurring in 彪, 影, 形 etc

  3 strokes

• 形xíng🔊

  to appear

  HSK 6

  7 strokes

• 彤tóng🔊

  red

  7 strokes

• 须xū🔊

  beard

  HSK 7

  9 strokes

• 彦yàn🔊

  accomplished

  9 strokes

• 彧yù🔊

  accomplished

  10 strokes

• 彨chī🔊

  variant of 螭[chi1]

  10 strokes

• 彩cǎi🔊

  (bright) color

  11 strokes

• 彬bīn🔊

  urbane; well-bred; cultivated

  11 strokes

• 彪biāo🔊

  (literary) tiger stripes; (by extension) ornate and brightly colored; (by synecdoche) young tiger; (fig.) strong; stalwart

  11 strokes

• 彭Péng🔊

  surname Peng

  12 strokes

• 彰zhāng🔊

  clear

  14 strokes

• 影yǐng🔊

  picture

  15 strokes