Radical 195 (魚, pinyin: ''yú bù''), meaning "fish," is one of the 214 Kangxi radicals used in traditional Chinese character classification. It is one of the 6 radicals that consist of 11 strokes. In the Kangxi Dictionary, it is the 195th radical in order.
Meaning and Form
The character 魚 (yú) directly translates to "fish." As a radical, it serves as a semantic component in compound characters, indicating a relationship to fish, aquatic life, or marine products. Its form is an ancient pictogram that visually represents a fish. When used as a radical, its appearance remains largely consistent, though it may be slightly compressed to fit within a larger character. In Simplified Chinese, the radical form is typically simplified to 鱼.Stroke Count
Radical 195 comprises 11 strokes. This relatively high stroke count makes it one of the more complex radicals within the Kangxi system.Usage and Significance
Characters indexed under Radical 195 are predominantly names of various fish species (e.g., 鯉 for carp, 鮭 for salmon, 鯊 for shark). However, it can also appear in characters related to fish products, aspects of aquatic life, or concepts metaphorically linked to fish. Its presence provides a strong semantic clue for understanding the meaning of the characters it forms. For example, the character 鮮 (xiān, "fresh") originally referred to fresh fish and uses this radical.Kangxi Dictionary System
The system of 214 Kangxi radicals is a fundamental method for organizing and looking up Chinese characters, particularly in traditional dictionaries. Radical 195 is an important part of this system, allowing users to locate characters that share a common semantic root related to fish.See Also
- Kangxi radicals
- Chinese characters
- Radical (Chinese characters)