HSK Guide

Radical 146a covering, a wrapper; related to 西, west

(fourth tone, falling)

a covering, a wrapper; related to 西, west

Radical 1466 strokes0 characters

Also written — the same radical in a different position inside the character.

Where the shape comes from

Closely tied to 西, west, the two characters sharing an early form sometimes read as a bird settling into its nest as the sun goes down in the west — the covering of dusk closing over the day. As an independent radical it is genuinely rare, now mostly a dictionary shell; compressed to 覀 it tops 要, to want, need, and 票, a ticket, ballot, contributing its shape more often than any longer story it could still explain.

characters filed under

No published character on HSK Guide is filed under this radical yet. Character explorer.