肉
The 肉 radical
Flesh, body
Variants: ⺼
Memory hook
A slab of meat with sinew inside. As a component it becomes 月, identical to the moon radical — but 脑 (brain), 脚 (foot), 背 (back) are all BODY parts, nothing to do with the moon.
The 肉 radical (read ròu) means flesh, body. The HSK 3.0 data contains 65 characters and 220 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 肉 radical
Study this radical's 220 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 肉 radical
65 charactersThe free plan shows 9 characters per HSK level (42/65 characters of this radical).
HSK 1· 3 characters
HSK 1肉
meat
能
can, to be able to
脑
brain
HSK 2· 6 characters
HSK 2育
to nurture; to educate
背
back (of the body)
脏
dirty
脚
foot
脸
face
腿
leg
HSK 3· 2 characters
HSK 3胖
fat; plump
胜
to win; to defeat
HSK 4· 6 characters
HSK 4肚
belly, stomach
肥
fat
胸
chest
脱
to take off (clothes, shoes, etc.)
腐
rotten, decayed
腰
waist, lower back
HSK 5· 9 characters
HSK 5肌
muscle, flesh
肠
intestine
肤
skin (the covering of the body)
肩
shoulder
肯
to be willing, willing to
胃
stomach
胆
courage, bravery
胡
surname Hu, foreign surname
胶
glue, adhesive
HSK 6· 7 characters
HSK 6肝
liver
股
stock, share
肺
lung
肿
to swell up
胁
flank; side of the body
胞
fetus, unborn child
膜
membrane, thin film
HSK 7-9· 9 characters
HSK 7-9肖
to resemble, to be alike
肢
limb, the four limbs
肪
fat; grease
肾
kidney
胀
to swell, to bloat, to inflate
胎
fetus, embryo
胚
embryo, germ
胧
dim, blurry
胳
arm
Vocabulary with the 肉 radical
220 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 肉 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (57/220 words of this radical).
computer
meat
can, to be able to
physical education; sports
stadium
gymnasium; indoor sports arena
can only
maybe; possibly; possible
education; to educate
back (of the body)
to be able to; can
dirty
function
mind; brains
talent
to carry on one's back
behind; at the back
fat; plump
to win; to defeat
victory; triumph
can ... or not; could you ...
to lose weight
to nurture, to cultivate
to defeat, to overcome
to get rid of, to shake off
intelligence
belly, stomach
fat
background, context
fat person
cannot not
bold
brain, cerebrum
to the utmost
straightforward, direct
performance, function
skill
ham
grilled meat, barbecue meat
compatriot; fellow countryman
scenic spot
solar energy
to threaten; to menace
heart
heart disease
the Ministry of Education
to play the stock market, to speculate in stocks
smiling face; smiling expression
omnipotent, all-purpose
to be unwilling, to refuse
to lose face, to be embarrassed
artificial intelligence
to be a headache; troublesome; bothersome
physical ability, stamina, endurance
all-around, versatile
within one's ability; to the best of one's ability
artery
Why learn vocabulary by the 肉 radical?
The 肉 radical hints at the meaning flesh, body. 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 65 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 220 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.