水 Radical 85 — water
shuǐ (third tone, dipping)
water
Radical 854 strokes4 characters
Also written 氵 · 氺 — the same radical in a different position inside the character.
Where the shape comes from
A stream seen from above: the hooked centre stroke is the current, the strokes flying off on either side are the spray. Squeezed onto the left of a character the picture keeps only three droplets, 氵, which marks rivers, washing and every liquid: 河, 没, 洗, 汉, 酒.