The Chinese Radical: 八




Hanzi-Trainer
Search:
 
 
Meaning
eight    八

Explanation The eight 八 can probably be understood as two hands with outstretched fingers, but without the thumbs, which adds up to eight.

Used in these characters:
HSK 1
to divide, to separate, to distinguish, part, fraction
fēn, fèn
Top: eight 八, bottom: sword 刀
Into eight parts the swords divides by separating.
HSK 1
small, tiny, few, young
xiǎo

A person 亅 with the arms 八 close to the body appears: small.
HSK 1
eight, 8


Two hands with the four fingers each (without thumb) which maks a total of eight.
HSK 1
six, 6
liù

One 丶 plus two 八 makes three. When this is cut 一 you get six parts.
HSK 2
public, collectively owned, common, male (animal)
gōng
Eight 八, nose 厶 (a nose in side view)
Eight noses stand for the public.
HSK 3
just one of a several, unique, merely, only
zhī, zhǐ
Image of a person consisting only of a mouth 口 and two legs 八
This person has a huge mouth, which is only one and unique.
HSK 4
tool, device, equipment, instrument, to possess

An eye 目 and a table
The eye sees on the table: a tool.
HSK 5
soldiers, an army, military
bīng
Top: hill 丘 (An axe 斤 in the ground 一 as a burial object in the [burial] mound/hill.), below: eight 八
At the hill are eight soldiers.
HSK 6
beast, animal, bestial, ferocious
shòu
From top: out 丷 (here: widely), rice field 田, one 一 mouth 口
Widely open like a rice field is one mouth of the beast.
HSK 6
sound of trumpet, horn or sharp noise (gunfire etc)

Left: mouth 口, right: Bell 八 of the trumpet
From a "mouth" that widens [towards the lower end] like an eight 八 comes the "sound of a trumpet".
HSK 6
to lie on one's stomach, to lean forward

Left: foot 足 (knee cap 口 and footprint 止), right: eight 八 (here: two legs)
When the feet are aside to the legs, you are lying on the stomach.
HSK 6
friendly, harmonious, amicable, peaceful relations

Left: eye 目, right: 坴 (eight 八, 2 x land 土)
The view on all that land is friendly and harmonious.
HSK 6
to cling to, hold on to, push aside, strip off, rake up
bā, pá
Left: hand 扌, right: eight 八, (here variant of: grab/catch 抓 [The hand 扌 as a claw 爪 for: grabbing or arresting]
The hand is claw-like for: clinging or holding.
no HSK
(exclamation particle in old Chinese)


"Eight 八 seaweeds 丂" as exclamation
no HSK
to hope, wish, (abbr. for Hebei 河北)

Top: north 北 (2 people sit back-to-back because it is cold in: the north.), bottom: differ, extraordinary 異 (Put a rice paddy 田 together 共 (with other paddies) and you will see how much they differ.)
Also in the north, our fields shall be extraordinary: This is what we hope.
no HSK
crossroads, thoroughfare
kuí
Left: movement 辶, right: 坴 (2x earth 土, in the middle: two ways 八)
For the movement on two ways between twice 'earths' [hills?], there is: a crossing.

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

At the page you get the memory phrases for learning the Chinese Hanzi. If you are learning the Japanese kanji, please follow this link.

List of the characters | List of the radicals
Get the app of the Hanzi-Trainer!

The app has many other functions, such as character selection according to difficulty, practice programs, handwriting recognition and success statistics!

To the Trainer