Kangxi Radicals
Chinese characters can be decomposed into components called radicals or 部首 bu4shou3 (section header). The most commonly accepted table of radicals for traditional Chinese characters consists of 214 entries. These 214 radicals were popularized back in the reign of Qing emperor Kangxi, who commissioned what is now known as the Kangxi Zidian 康熙字典, a character Chinese dictionary listing over 47,000 entries (the standard during the 18th and 19th centuries).
Tables with fewer or greater number of radicals have been devised for simplified characters. Being able to recognize the common radicals helps in the learning and recognition of new characters (and most of all, the meaning of the word). Some, but not all radical, are complete characters in their own right. Some radicals have more than one form. Finally, simplified characters have resulted in additional variants. The stroke count refer to the main form of the radical only.
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