Is there a reliable translation of the kangxi radicals?


Inspired by the Wikipedia page on [Kangxi
radicals](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Kangxi_radicals) I decided to
study the meaning and writing of radicals before I tackle the much more
numerous kanji. But in working my way through the list, I started doubting the
translations of the radicals. Looking closer at the cited sources, I found
them to contradict each other at several occasions. 癶 is translated as "foot
steps" as well as "dotted tent", 冂 is translated as "down box", "upside down
box" and "display case". These are only two examples out of many more
contradictions.

Is there any reliable source to the meaning of kangxi radicals? I really want
to learn the meaning of the radicals, but at this pace I don't even know where
to start. Can we find a reliable source, as well as an indication to why it is
reliable? Any help would be appreciated!




What is meant by a "reliable translation"? Let's look at 彳:

  1. In Japanese, it is given the _nickname_ ぎょうにんべん. This is customarily translated to "going man". If you want a translation of these customary _nicknames_ , you can find them in the New Nelson dictionary.
  2. But whoops--that's just a _nickname_! How about a _definition_? Well, that depends on what you mean:

    * Possibility A: What does the character mean _on its own_? My dictionary says it means 進み出る, "to step forward". That seems to fit with the "radical step" meaning on Wikipedia! But that's not terribly useful, because you're unlikely to ever come across 彳 as an independent character. For characters that _are_ used on their own, any good character dictionary should suffice.
    * Possibility B: What does the element mean _as part of another character_? Unfortunately, this is not reliably answerable for all characters; see [Is there an objective source of the origins of kanji?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/871/is-there-an-objective-source-of-the-origins-of-kanji) for details on why not. However, there are many good books on character etymology you might enjoy, such as Henshall's _A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters_.

Where does that leave us? Personally, I'd say to learn the customary names for
common radicals, and investigate character etymology when you find it helpful
or interesting, on a character-by-character basis.




What is meant by a "reliable translation"? Let's look at 彳:

  1. In Japanese, it is given the _nickname_ ぎょうにんべん. This is customarily translated to "going man". If you want a translation of these customary _nicknames_ , you can find them in the New Nelson dictionary.
  2. But whoops--that's just a _nickname_! How about a _definition_? Well, that depends on what you mean:

    * Possibility A: What does the character mean _on its own_? My dictionary says it means 進み出る, "to step forward". That seems to fit with the "radical step" meaning on Wikipedia! But that's not terribly useful, because you're unlikely to ever come across 彳 as an independent character. For characters that _are_ used on their own, any good character dictionary should suffice.
    * Possibility B: What does the element mean _as part of another character_? Unfortunately, this is not reliably answerable for all characters; see [Is there an objective source of the origins of kanji?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/871/is-there-an-objective-source-of-the-origins-of-kanji) for details on why not. However, there are many good books on character etymology you might enjoy, such as Henshall's _A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters_.

Where does that leave us? Personally, I'd say to learn the customary names for
common radicals, and investigate character etymology when you find it helpful
or interesting, on a character-by-character basis.

