Radicals by Position: Hen, Tsukuri, Kanmuri, Ashi, Tare, Nyō, Kamae
Japanese 漢字辞典 (kanji dictionaries) sort visible kanji radical positions into seven named categories: hen (left), tsukuri (right), kanmuri (top), ashi (bottom), tare (top-left hanging), nyō (left-bottom wrap), and kamae (enclosure).1234 Learning these names explains why the same drawn shape is called さんずい on the left of 海 and 水 underneath 泉. It is also the vocabulary every kanji dictionary foreword assumes you already have.
Overview
The seven positions in one sentence each
The seven categories distinguish radical positions by the slot where the named component sits.1234 The names are common kanji whose everyday Japanese meanings match the slot: 偏 "side," 旁 "side / beside," 冠 "crown," 脚 "leg," 垂 "to droop / hang," 繞 "to wind around / surround," 構 "frame / structure."567891011
| Position name | Kanji | Where the component sits | One iconic example |
|---|---|---|---|
| へん | 偏 | left | 亻 (にんべん) in 体 |
| つくり | 旁 | right | 阝 (おおざと) in 都 |
| かんむり | 冠 | top | 宀 (うかんむり) in 家 |
| あし | 脚 | bottom | 儿 (ひとあし) in 兄 |
| たれ | 垂 | top + left, lower-right open | 广 (まだれ) in 床 |
| にょう | 繞 | left + bottom, upper-right open | 辶 (しんにょう) in 道 |
| かまえ | 構 | three- or four-sided enclosure | 囗 (くにがまえ) in 国 |
How this article is scoped
This article names and locates the seven positions and gives worked examples for each one.1234 It does not re-establish the strict 部首 definition or enumerate the 214 Kangxi inventory. Those belong to the sibling radicals articles in this subcategory.
The treatment is pitched at N4+. Variant forms such as 氵, 忄, 灬, 阝, and 辶 get a section of their own because they are the position-system payoff that English-language references often skip past.
Why position has its own vocabulary
Position changes the name, not the dictionary head
The Japanese Wikipedia article on 部首 distinguishes 部首 from 偏旁: "'Radical' and 'component' are different concepts. Components are the collective term for all elements constituting character form."1 The position name labels a component shape in a specific slot. The Kangxi 部首 that the component represents is the same regardless of position.11213
In other words, the seven categories index visible position; the 214 Kangxi list indexes the filing head used to look up the kanji. The two coincide for many kanji, but not all.
The position name (e.g. うかんむり for 宀 on top) describes where a component sits in the visible glyph. The 部首 (one per kanji) is a separate indexing decision made by the dictionary editor and anchored to the Kangxi 214. They line up in 家 (both point at 宀, Kangxi 40)14 but diverge in 字 (visible 宀 on top, but indexed under 子, Kangxi 39).15
The seven category names are themselves kanji
Each category name carries the meaning that earns its position.
- 偏 (へん): modern Japanese sense "side; biased / leaning"; kun'yomi かたよる "to lean."5
- 旁 (つくり): modern Japanese sense "the right-side component of a kanji"; Old Chinese "side, beside," coordinate with 偏 in the same dictionary tradition.6
- 冠 (かんむり): Jōyō kun'yomi かんむり, sense "crown"; the radical sits on top of the rest like headwear.7
- 脚 (あし): kun'yomi あし "leg"; the radical stands at the bottom of the rest like legs.8
- 垂 (たれ): kun'yomi たれる "to suspend, dangle, hang"; the radical hangs from the top-left.9
- 繞 (にょう / じょう): glossed "to wind around / wrap"; used in modern Japanese primarily in the radical-position sense.10
- 構 (かまえ): kun'yomi かまえる "to construct"; nominal sense "frame, structure."11
The naming is asymmetric on purpose. 偏 and 旁 both classically mean "side" in Chinese, and the left-right pairing of hen and tsukuri comes from Chinese dictionary convention rather than a new Japanese coinage.56
The seven positions in detail
へん (偏): left-side radicals
The named component sits on the left of the character.1234 Representative named radicals include にんべん 亻 (人, Kangxi 9); てへん 扌 (手, Kangxi 64); さんずい 氵 (水, Kangxi 85); きへん 木 (木, Kangxi 75); ごんべん 言 (言, Kangxi 149); りっしんべん 忄 (心, Kangxi 61); ぎょうにんべん 彳 (彳, Kangxi 60); and こざとへん 阝 (left-position form of 阜, Kangxi 170).1216171819132
体20
"body, physique"
林21
"small forest, grove"
性22
"nature, disposition"
In 体, the left 亻 (にんべん) is the radical and the right 本 is the rest of the character.20 林 is a borderline case: both halves are 木. The left 木 fills hen position and is the filing radical; the right 木 is component-only.21 性 shows 忄 (りっしんべん) on the left, the position-form of 心 in hen.22
つくり (旁): right-side radicals
The named component sits on the right of the character.1234 Representative named radicals: りっとう 刂 (刀, Kangxi 18); ちから 力 (力, Kangxi 19); おおざと 阝 (right-position form of 邑, Kangxi 163); ぼくづくり / のぶん 攵 (攴, Kangxi 66); おおがい 頁 (頁, Kangxi 181); さんづくり 彡 (彡, Kangxi 59).191323
The 阝 glyph has the same shape in both positions. It is こざとへん (mound, from 阜) when it sits on the left and おおざと (village, from 邑) when it sits on the right.19 Wiktionary states the split explicitly: "阝 is the component form of two distinct radicals found either on the left or right of a character. It is the component form of 阜 when used on the left of a character … and the component form of 邑 when used on the right."19
都23
"capital, metropolis, city"
Both 都 and 部 file under Kangxi 163 (邑), with 阝 on the right as おおざと. The same right-阝 family includes 郡 and 郷.1923
かんむり (冠): top radicals
The named component sits on top of the character.1234 Representative named radicals: くさかんむり 艹 (艸, Kangxi 140); うかんむり 宀 (宀, Kangxi 40); あなかんむり 穴 (穴, Kangxi 116); たけかんむり 竹 (竹, Kangxi 118); あめかんむり 雨 (雨, Kangxi 173); わかんむり 冖 (冖, Kangxi 14).2413234
花25
"flower, blossom"
家14
"house, household"
花 files under Kangxi 140 with 艹 (くさかんむり) on top.25 家 files under Kangxi 40 with 宀 (うかんむり) on top. It is the clean case where the position name and the indexing radical agree.14
あし (脚): bottom radicals
The named component sits at the bottom of the character.1234 Representative named radicals: ひとあし / にんにょう 儿 (儿, Kangxi 10); こころ 心 (心 in bottom position, Kangxi 61); れっか / れんが 灬 (variant of 火, Kangxi 86); さら 皿 (皿, Kangxi 108); にじゅうあし 廾 (廾, Kangxi 55).2613234
心 sits in hen position as 忄 (りっしんべん) and in ashi position as the full 心 glyph (e.g. 思, 想, 感, 念). It is the same Kangxi 61 radical in two positions, with two names.1627
兄28
"elder brother"
思う27
"to think"
照る29
"to shine, to illuminate"
兄 files under Kangxi 10 with 儿 (ひとあし) at the bottom.28 思 files under Kangxi 61 with 心 in ashi position and 田 on top.27 照 files under Kangxi 86. Its visible bottom 灬 (れっか / れんが) is the position-form of 火.29
たれ (垂): top-left hanging radicals
The named component covers the top and the left of the character and leaves the lower-right open.1234 Representative named radicals: がんだれ 厂 (厂, Kangxi 27); まだれ 广 (广, Kangxi 53); しかばね 尸 (尸, Kangxi 44); やまいだれ 疒 (疒, Kangxi 104); とだれ / とかんむり 戸 (戸, Kangxi 63 reading-dependent).13234
床30
"floor"
病31
"illness, disease"
床 files under Kangxi 53 with 广 (まだれ) covering the top and the left. The lower-right holds 木.30 病 files under Kangxi 104 with 疒 (やまいだれ) covering the top and the left. The lower-right holds 丙.31
にょう (繞): left-bottom wrap radicals
The named component wraps from the left around the bottom and leaves the upper-right open.1234 Representative named radicals: しんにょう / しんにゅう 辶 (variant of 辵, Kangxi 162); そうにょう 走 (走, Kangxi 156); えんにょう 廴 (廴, Kangxi 54); きにょう 鬼 (鬼, Kangxi 194 when in left-bottom wrap).323313234
しんにょう has a historical Kangxi-style 二点之繞 (two-dot) form and a modern 一点之繞 (one-dot) form codified in the 1949 当用漢字字体表. The one-dot form is the jōyō standard, and the two-dot form survives in some 人名用 entries and 旧字体.33
道34
"road, way, path"
起きる35
"to get up, to rise"
建てる36
"to build, to erect"
道 files under Kangxi 162 with 辶 (しんにょう) wrapping left and bottom.34 起 files under Kangxi 156 with 走 (そうにょう) wrapping left and bottom.35 建 files under Kangxi 54 with 廴 (えんにょう) wrapping left and bottom.36
かまえ (構): enclosure radicals
The named component fully or partially encloses the rest of the character, on three or four sides.1234 Representative named radicals include くにがまえ 囗 (囗, Kangxi 31, four-sided box); もんがまえ 門 (門, Kangxi 169, three-sided top-and-sides); ぎょうがまえ / ゆきがまえ 行 (行, Kangxi 144, two-sided left-and-right); はこがまえ 匚 (匚, Kangxi 22, three-sided open-right); かくしがまえ 匸 (匸, Kangxi 23, three-sided open-right); and つつみがまえ 勹 (勹, Kangxi 20, partial wrap).13234
Some references treat the partial enclosures (はこがまえ, ぎょうがまえ, つつみがまえ) as a separate subgroup from full-enclosure kamae; the split is real in the reference literature and is left unadjudicated here.23
国37
"country, nation"
間38
"interval, space, between"
国 files under Kangxi 31 with 囗 (くにがまえ) enclosing four sides.37 間 files under Kangxi 169 with 門 (もんがまえ) enclosing the top and the sides. The bottom is open.38
How the same component changes name by position
This is the section the seven-position grid was built to make readable. A single Kangxi radical can take more than one position in different kanji. Each position gives the same underlying element a different name and often a different shape.
水 vs 氵 (mizu vs sanzui)
水 appears as the full radical when it stands alone or sits at the bottom (e.g. 泉). The same Kangxi 85 element compresses to 氵 (さんずい, "three drops of water") when it sits on the left as hen.1213 Jōyō example kanji that take 氵 in hen position include 海, 池, 河, 流, and 泳, all filing under Kangxi 85.1213
心 vs 忄 (kokoro vs risshinben)
心 sits as the full radical at the bottom in 思, 想, 感, 念. The same Kangxi 61 element compresses to 忄 (りっしんべん, "standing-heart radical") when it sits on the left in 性, 情, 快.162227 The Kangxi identity is preserved across both positions. The position changes both the shape and the position-name.162227
火 vs 灬 (hi vs rekka / renga)
火 sits in hen position in 炊, 焼, 灯. The same Kangxi 86 element appears as 灬 (れっか / れんが, "fire feet") in ashi position in 無, 烈, 熱, 然, 照.262939 Wiktionary's 灬 entry is explicit: "Simplified from 火 when used as a bottom radical."26 Both れっか and れんが are attested across reference works for the same glyph in ashi position.2623
人 vs 亻 vs 儿 (the "person" element across three positions)
人 itself appears at the top of 今 and 会 in a kanmuri-style use, filing under Kangxi 9 (人).1813 The same Kangxi 9 element compresses to 亻 (にんべん) when it sits on the left in hen position, as in 仕, 休, 体, 仏.1820 The historically related Kangxi 10 element 儿 (ひとあし / にんにょう, "human legs") sits in ashi position in 兄, 元, 光, 児.28
A small caveat: 儿 is a separate Kangxi radical (10), not a position-variant of 人 (9). The connection is etymological and visual rather than indexing-system identity.1328
手 vs 扌 (te vs tehen)
手 appears whole in 拳 with the radical in the lower position. The same Kangxi 64 element compresses to 扌 (てへん) in hen position in 打, 持, 投, 押, 折, 拾.1713 Wiktionary's 扌 entry calls it "the left 'hand' radical, called te-hen (手偏)."17 All examples above file under Kangxi 64 (手). The position-form changes, the dictionary head does not.1713
How to pick the position name when a kanji is ambiguous
The "what does it cover" test
A two-step test works for most kanji at N4+.
Step 1: Does the named component wrap two or more edges?
- Top + left, lower-right open → たれ.93031
- Left + bottom, upper-right open → にょう.103233343536
- Three or four edges (encloses) → かまえ.113738
Step 2: If it sits on one edge only, name it by that edge.
For the three confusable shapes, first read the open quadrant: たれ leaves the lower-right open, にょう leaves the upper-right open, and かまえ leaves no quadrant open (or, in the partial-enclosure subgroup, leaves the right side open).91011234
Tare vs nyō vs kamae: the three confusable shapes
All three categories wrap two or more edges of the kanji, so they are easy to mix up. The distinguishing test is which quadrant is left open.234
| Category | Kanji of name | Meaning | Shape covers | Open quadrant | Iconic example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| たれ | 垂 | "to droop" | top + left | lower-right | 广 (まだれ) in 床, 店, 度 |
| にょう | 繞 | "to wind around" | left + bottom | upper-right | 辶 (しんにょう) in 道, 進, 近 |
| かまえ | 構 | "frame" | three or four sides | none, or right (partial) | 囗 (くにがまえ) in 国; 門 (もんがまえ) in 間 |
Use the Japanese meaning of each category name as the mnemonic: 垂 "droops" from the top-left, 繞 "winds around" from the left along the bottom, and 構 "frames" the inside.91011
When references disagree
Some 漢和辞典 (kanji dictionaries for Japanese readers) and teaching sources split or merge categories at the margins. Two cases recur in the reference literature.3323
The partial enclosures (はこがまえ 匚, かくしがまえ 匸, ぎょうがまえ 行, つつみがまえ 勹) are sometimes filed as a kamae sub-group and sometimes split off from the four-sided くにがまえ family.23
The しんにょう 二点 (two-dot) Kangxi form and the modern 一点 (one-dot) form are sometimes listed as a single position-form with notation, and sometimes as two related forms. The 1949 当用漢字字体表 standardised the one-dot form for jōyō kanji. The two-dot form survives in some 人名用 entries and in 旧字体.33
These are taxonomy refinements, not contradictions. The seven-category split is the consensus in school grammar and 漢字辞典 forewords.1234
Position-form vs canonical radical: 字 as the test case
The kanji 字 ("character, letter") has 宀 on top in what looks like clean ukanmuri position. But the Wiktionary radical line gives "Kangxi radical 39, 子+3, 6 strokes": its canonical dictionary head is 子, not 宀.15
The position name (うかんむり) and the indexing head (子) describe two different objects in the same kanji. They coincide for many kanji: 家 is filed under 宀, and the top 宀 is also うかんむり.14 They diverge in cases like 字, where the dictionary editor chose 子 as the more informative filing head.115
The takeaway: the seven-position grid is a way to read the visible glyph. The 部首 is a separate filing decision. When the two disagree, both are correct about their own job.
Good to know
Reading each category name as a body-part or architecture metaphor
The seven names sit on the kanji like parts of a body or a building: 冠 "crown" goes on top, 脚 "leg" stands on the bottom, 偏 and 旁 sit on the sides, 垂 "droops" from the top-left, 繞 "winds around," and 構 "frames" the inside.567891011 Each gloss earns its position from the everyday Japanese meaning of the category kanji. That meaning is also the fastest mnemonic for the four cardinal-edge categories.
The 阝 element changes name and meaning family by position
The same drawn glyph 阝 takes the name こざとへん on the left (parent radical 阜, Kangxi 170, meaning-family "mound, terrain") and the name おおざと on the right (parent radical 邑, Kangxi 163, meaning-family "village, settlement").192340 The left case appears in 院, 防, 限; the right case appears in 都, 部, 郡. This is the clearest demonstration in the system that position changes both the name and the underlying meaning family for an identical shape.
灬 is not water and not steam; it is fire
The four-dots-at-bottom shape looks like the three dots of さんずい 氵, which can pull beginners into reading the four dots as a water family. The shape is the ashi-position form of 火 (Kangxi 86), called れっか or れんが.262939 無 and 熱 are fire-family kanji, not water-family kanji.2639
旁 (つくり) and 偏 (へん) both classically mean "side"
Both kanji are glossed "side" in Classical Chinese.56 The left-right asymmetric Japanese pairing (one term for left, one for right) is inherited from Chinese dictionary convention, where 偏 and 旁 were the standard descriptors for left-right composition before the seven-position grid was systematised.56
The seven category names are dictionary metavocabulary, not conversation
へん, つくり, かんむり, あし, たれ, にょう, and かまえ live in 漢字辞典 forewords, 部首索引 (radical indexes), and school-grammar handouts.134 A Japanese speaker outside a teaching context will more often say 「左がわ」 ("the left part") than 「へん」. Learning the seven names is for using the dictionary, not for casual talk.
Tare droops, nyō winds, kamae frames
The fastest test for the three two-edge categories is to read each category kanji back into its own meaning. たれ 垂 means "to droop," so the shape droops from the top-left and leaves the lower-right open. にょう 繞 means "to wind around," so the shape wraps from the left along the bottom and leaves the upper-right open. かまえ 構 means "frame," so the shape encloses on three or four sides.91011
When in doubt about a wrapping radical, ask which quadrant is open and match it back to the meaning of the category kanji.
See also
- Phonetic Components in Kanji (音符): The Hidden Reading Hint in 75% of Kanji
- The Six Categories of Kanji (六書): Pictographs, Ideographs, and Phono-Semantic Compounds
- How to Look Up a Kanji You Don't Know: Hover, Handwriting, OCR, and Radical Lookup
- Kanji Stroke Order: The General Rules Behind Every Character