Promotion

而

ér
Radical no. 1266 strokes

The 而 radical

Beard; and, yet

Memory hook

Originally the whiskers under a chin, later borrowed as the conjunction 'and, yet': 而且 (moreover), 然而 (however), 耐 (to endure).

The 而 radical (read ér) means beard; and, yet. The HSK 3.0 data contains 3 characters and 40 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.

Practise the 而 radical

Study this radical's 40 words with flashcards or a quiz.

The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium

Characters with the 而 radical

3 characters

HSK 2· 1 characters

HSK 2

而

ér

and, but

HSK 5· 1 characters

HSK 5

耐

nài

to endure, to bear

HSK 7-9· 1 characters

HSK 7-9

耍

shuǎ

to play, to have fun

Vocabulary with the 而 radical

40 words

Words containing at least one character with the 而 radical, ordered by HSK level.

The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (19/40 words of this radical).

而且
érqiě

and; moreover

反而
fǎnér

on the contrary

然而
ránér

however

而
ér

and, but

而是
érshì

but rather, instead

不耐烦
búnàifán

impatient, irritated

从而
cóngér

thereby, as a result

因而
yīnér

therefore, consequently

耐心
nàixīn

patience

时而
shíér

sometimes, occasionally

一概而论
yígàiérlùn

to generalize mechanically

不得而知
bùdéérzhī

to have no way of knowing

不约而同
bùyuēértóng

to coincidentally agree, to act in unison without prior arrangement

不翼而飞
búyìérfēi

To vanish mysteriously, to vanish into thin air.

不辞而别
bùcíérbié

to leave without saying goodbye

似是而非
sìshìérfēi

seemingly right but actually wrong, plausible but false

半途而废
bàntúérfèi

to give up halfway; to leave things half done

取而代之
qǔérdàizhī

to replace it, substitute something else in its place

可想而知
kěxiǎngérzhī

can be imagined

Why learn vocabulary by the 而 radical?

The 而 radical hints at the meaning beard; and, yet. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.

How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 3 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 40 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.

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