What rules are there regarding the role a radical plays in a kanji (such as telling us about the kanji's reading or meaning)?


Are there certain rules for knowing what role a radical plays in a kanji? I've
heard sometimes a radical tells us about how to read the kanji, and sometimes
it tells us the meaning of the kanji. But that's all I've heard.

Could you tell me more about this and the importance of the radicals when
learning kanji?




I'll have a start at an answer, but not sure I'm able to completely answer it.

In many cases, radicals on the _left side_ of the kanji indicate the "class"
or meaning that the kanji belongs to. This seems to be _moreso_ the case with
physical objects rather than abstract concepts.

For example, 人 - person - (called "nin-ben" as the left radical): 休、体、代、伝
([human] rest, body, generation/change, transfer). (At least one) root meaning
of each of these kanji involves people (伝える has a very strong sense of
"transfer information from person to person").

A better example is something like 魚 (sakana-hen). I can't think of a SINGLE
kanji that has 魚 on the left side that doesn't relate to fish/ocean (look at a
sushi menu).

Things in "nature" are pretty consistent: the names of trees pretty much
always have ki-hen, 木. 松、柳、杉、楓、樫. (pine, willow, cedar, maple, oak). 林 means a
grove of trees. From there it gets more abstract - a desk was probably
traditionally made from wood, so つくえ is 机.

Once we get abstract, though, it gets messy. 心 means heart, so usually
risshin-ben (when it's a line with two marks on the left) is related to
emotional/feeling kanji: 慎 (prudent)、慣 (become accustomed to)、忙 (busy). Sure,
we can all make the argument that one is "busy" and that affects the
heart/emotion, but really, when we start making parallels like this, I start
sounding more like stories from "Remembering the Kanji" as opposed to a real
history of the character.

NOW, as for radicals on the right side of the kanji, they often provide the
sound of the on-yomi prononciation. The kanji 官 means "official", as in like a
bureaucrat (in the word 官僚). Yet, the 官 structure is part of other kanji - and
takes the onyomi along with it.

The word ryokan (旅館 - Japanese inn)'s "kan" kanji includes it, as does kanri
(管理, control, administer). Note that in the case of 管理, it's not on the right
- it's below the radical, 竹, called take-kanmuri (kanmuri means "crown", note
that it's on top, not on the left). 棺 (ひつぎ - coffin) is pronounced "kan" in
onyomi (also note that it has ki-hen, because coffins are often made of
wood!).

Hope this helps...




I'll have a start at an answer, but not sure I'm able to completely answer it.

In many cases, radicals on the _left side_ of the kanji indicate the "class"
or meaning that the kanji belongs to. This seems to be _moreso_ the case with
physical objects rather than abstract concepts.

For example, 人 - person - (called "nin-ben" as the left radical): 休、体、代、伝
([human] rest, body, generation/change, transfer). (At least one) root meaning
of each of these kanji involves people (伝える has a very strong sense of
"transfer information from person to person").

A better example is something like 魚 (sakana-hen). I can't think of a SINGLE
kanji that has 魚 on the left side that doesn't relate to fish/ocean (look at a
sushi menu).

Things in "nature" are pretty consistent: the names of trees pretty much
always have ki-hen, 木. 松、柳、杉、楓、樫. (pine, willow, cedar, maple, oak). 林 means a
grove of trees. From there it gets more abstract - a desk was probably
traditionally made from wood, so つくえ is 机.

Once we get abstract, though, it gets messy. 心 means heart, so usually
risshin-ben (when it's a line with two marks on the left) is related to
emotional/feeling kanji: 慎 (prudent)、慣 (become accustomed to)、忙 (busy). Sure,
we can all make the argument that one is "busy" and that affects the
heart/emotion, but really, when we start making parallels like this, I start
sounding more like stories from "Remembering the Kanji" as opposed to a real
history of the character.

NOW, as for radicals on the right side of the kanji, they often provide the
sound of the on-yomi prononciation. The kanji 官 means "official", as in like a
bureaucrat (in the word 官僚). Yet, the 官 structure is part of other kanji - and
takes the onyomi along with it.

The word ryokan (旅館 - Japanese inn)'s "kan" kanji includes it, as does kanri
(管理, control, administer). Note that in the case of 管理, it's not on the right
- it's below the radical, 竹, called take-kanmuri (kanmuri means "crown", note
that it's on top, not on the left). 棺 (ひつぎ - coffin) is pronounced "kan" in
onyomi (also note that it has ki-hen, because coffins are often made of
wood!).

Hope this helps...

