Dive into the wonderful world of Chinese linguistics with our easy-to-understand guide on HSK 1 Characters by Radicals – Part I.”
Hello language learners!
Welcome to our exciting journey of understanding “HSK 1 Characters by Radicals – 人, 口- Part I”.
Uncover the beauty of Chinese linguistics as we delve into the foundational blocks of Mandarin – the radicals!
We’ll be focusing on two of the most commonly used radicals – 人 (person) and 口 (mouth).
By knowing these, you’ll not just be learning characters, but also the heart of the language itself.
Come, let’s make Mandarin more enjoyable and less daunting, together.
| Radical | Characters | Pronunciation | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 人 | 你 | nǐ | you (informal) | 你好 (nǐ hǎo – hello), 你是 (nǐ shì – you are), 你的 (nǐ de – your) |
| 人 | 们 | men | plural marker | 我们 (wǒ men – we), 你们 (nǐ men – you all), 他们 (tā men – they) |
| 人 | 他 | tā | he or him | 他是 (tā shì – he is), 他的 (tā de – his), 他人 (tā rén – others) |
| 人 | 人 | rén | person/people | 人民 (rén mín – people), 人类 (rén lèi – human), 一个人 (yī gè rén – one person) |
| 人 | 会 | huì/kuài | can/to be able to | 会议 (huì yì – meeting), 会计 (huì jì – accounting), 会见 (huì jiàn – to meet) |
| 人 | 什 | shén/shí | what, ten | 什么 (shén me – what), 什么时候 (shén me shí hòu – when), 什么样 (shén me yàng – what kind) |
| 人 | 做 | zuò | to do/to make | 做饭 (zuò fàn – to cook), 做事 (zuò shì – to work), 做作 (zuò zuò – affected) |
| 人 | 作 | zuō/zuò | to do/to grow | 作品 (zuò pǐn – work of art), 作用 (zuò yòng – effect), 作文 (zuò wén – composition) |
| 人 | 候 | hòu | to wait | 等候 (děng hòu – to wait), 候选 (hòu xuǎn – candidate), 候车 (hòu chē – wait for the bus) |
| 人 | 今 | jīn | now/the present | 今天 (jīn tiān – today), 今年 (jīn nián – this year), 今晚 (jīn wǎn – tonight) |
| 人 | 住 | zhù | to live/to dwell | 住宅 (zhù zhái – residence), 住处 (zhù chǔ – dwelling place), 住手 (zhù shǒu – to stop) |
| 口 | 吗 | mǎ/ma | (question particle) | 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma – How are you?), 是吗 (shì ma – Really?), 喜欢吗 (xǐ huān ma – Do you like it?) |
| 口 | 和 | hé/Hé/hè/hú/huó/huò | and/together with | 和平 (hé píng – peace), 和谐 (hé xié – harmony), 和尚 (hé shang – monk) |
| 口 | 后 | Hòu/hòu | empress/queen, back/behind | 后来 (hòu lái – afterwards), 后面 (hòu miàn – behind), 后果 (hòu guǒ – consequence) |
| 口 | 听 | yǐn/tīng/tìng | to listen/to hear | 听话 (tīng huà – to obey), 听课 (tīng kè – attend class), 听说 (tīng shuō – it is said) |
| 口 | 呢 | ne/ní | (used to apply a previous question to a new subject) | 你呢 (nǐ ne – and you?), 她呢 (tā ne – and her?), 这呢 (zhè ne – what about this?) |
| 口 | 哪 | nǎ/na/něi | how/which | 哪里 (nǎ lǐ – where), 哪个 (nǎ gè – which one), 哪儿 (nǎ ér – where) |
| 口 | 喜 | xǐ | to be fond of/to like | 喜欢 (xǐ huān – to like), 喜事 (xǐ shì – happy event), 喜讯 (xǐ xùn – good news) |
| 口 | 名 | míng | name/noun | 名字 (míng zi – name), 名单 (míng dān – list of names), 名人 (míng rén – celebrity) |
| 口 | 同 | tóng/tòng | like/same/similar | 同学 (tóng xué – classmate), 同事 (tóng shì – colleague), 同意 (tóng yì – to agree) |
| 口 | 叫 | jiào | to shout/to call | 叫醒 (jiào xǐng – to wake someone up), 叫做 (jiào zuò – to be called), 叫车 (jiào chē – to hail a car) |
| 口 | 吃 | chī | to eat/to consume | 吃饭 (chī fàn – to eat a meal), 吃亏 (chī kuī – suffer a loss), 吃药 (chī yào – to take medicine) |
| 口 | 号 | háo/hào | ordinal number/day of a month/mark/sign | 号码 (hào mǎ – number), 日期号 (rì qī hào – date number), 号称 (hào chēng – be known as) |
| 口 | 喝 | hē/hè | to drink | 喝水 (hē shuǐ – to drink water), 喝茶 (hē chá – to drink tea), 喝酒 (hē jiǔ – to drink alcohol) |
| 口 | 喂 | wéi/wèi | hello (when answering the phone), to feed | 喂养 (wèi yǎng – to raise), 喂食 (wèi shí – to feed), 喂! (wéi – hello!) |
| 商 | 商 | Shāng/shāng | commerce/merchant/dealer | 商店 (shāng diàn – shop), 商务 (shāng wù – business), 商量 (shāng liàng – to discuss) |
And there we have it, an enlightening exploration of HSK 1 Characters by Radicals – 人, 口- Part I!
You’ve taken a massive step in understanding Mandarin at its roots.
Just remember, these radicals aren’t mere characters but stories waiting to unfold.
Your journey towards mastering Mandarin has just started and every new character you learn is a new chapter.
Stay curious, keep learning, and you’ll be surprised at how the language will open up to you.
Looking forward to Part II, where we’ll unlock even more radical secrets. See you soon!
