Inch Radical (寸) — Characters, Meaning and Practice Worksheet
寸 is the inch radical. It appears in 23 of the most common Chinese characters — these 12 are the ones worth learning first, and the worksheet below gives every one of them a pinyin header, a stroke-by-stroke model and blank Tianzige grids to copy into.
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What does 寸 mean?
Inch radical · 寸 cùn · 3 strokes · inch; a hand measuring
It usually appears at the bottom, or on the right. The Origin column below shows what each character's parts do — many take their meaning from the radical, some take their sound from the other half.
Shapes: 寸
寸 itself: A hand with a dot indicating where the pulse can be felt, about an inch up the wrist
12 common characters with 寸
Ranked by how often they appear in real written Chinese. Every character links to its own page with a stroke-order animation and example words.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 对 | duì | for, to, with regard to | A pair 又 of hands 寸 |
| 时 | shí | time when … | meaning from 日 (day) |
| 得 | dé | [structural particle used after a verb that introduces a complement showing effect] | A hand 寸 grabbing a shell 旦 |
| 过 | guò | [aspect marker indicating experience] | 咼 supplies the sound |
| 将 | jiāng | [indicating a future happening] will, be going to | Going to bed 丬 at night 夕, a predictable future |
| 导 | dǎo | to transmit; to lead; to guide; to conduct; to direct | A hand 寸 pointing the way to someplace 巳 |
| 村 | cūn | village | 寸 supplies the sound |
| 讨 | tǎo | ask for, beg; take (as wife) | To ask 讠 for something 寸 |
| 封 | fēng | [measure word for letters, telegrams, etc.] | To seal 寸 something with a handful of mortar 土 |
| 守 | shǒu | guard; keep watch; abide by | Keeping something 寸 within one's walls 宀 |
| 付 | fù | pay; commit to | To hand 寸 something over to someone 亻 |
| 寻 | xún | look for, seek | 寸 supplies the sound |
Related Radicals
- 女Woman radical · nǚ33 common characters · woman, female
- 子Child radical · zǐ14 common characters · child; seed
- 宀Roof radical · mián39 common characters · a roof
- 小Small radical · xiǎo12 common characters · small
- 尸Corpse radical · shī15 common characters · corpse; a lying figure
- 山Mountain radical · shān14 common characters · mountain
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