Radical (bushu)

A radical (bushu) in Chinese characters is a component or building block that often hints at the character's meaning or pronunciation. Think of it like a key part that helps identify the character's general category—such as water, hand, or person. Radicals are used in dictionaries to organize characters and assist with learning. They can appear at the top, side, or bottom of a character and are sometimes standalone characters, but more often serve as clues within compound characters, guiding understanding of both meaning and pronunciation.