字の旅3,000 years in four forms
Oracle bone · ShangShang · c. 1200 BCE甲1023 (商)
Oracle bone and small seal: Academia Sinica 小學堂, CC0. Bronze: Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The oracle bone, bronze and seal stages show 犬, not 犭 itself.
部首Radical · in Animals & Wildlife
犭 beast, animal
けものへん kemonohen
3 strokesRadical of 14 kanjiPart of 14
Origin · sourced
Pictogram象形
The side view of a dog.
Source: Wiktionary, 犬 (rev. 94100401), the entry for the full form, CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Watch the wild beast stalking through the brush! These three quick strokes capture the energy of a four-legged animal on the prowl. When you see it on the left side of a kanji, imagine the wild, untamed nature of cats, wolves, and other creatures of the wilderness.”
Where it sits in a kanji
Indicates mammals, wild or domestic four-legged animals, or traits associated with bestial or wild behavior
What it grows into
- 狂lunaticキョウ · くるう
犭 + 㞷sound
The latter is the ancient form of 往 (“to go”).
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 独singleドク · ひとり
犭 + 蜀sound
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, 獨, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 猫catビョウ · ねこ
犭 + 苗sound
Phono-semantic compound · Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Every kanji with 犭 as its radical
All 14 kanji