自
The 自 radical
Nose; self
Memory hook
A nose — Chinese speakers point at their own nose to say 'me', so it came to mean 'self': 自己 (oneself), 臭 (smelly), 息 (breath).
The 自 radical (read zì) means nose; self. The HSK 3.0 data contains 2 characters and 58 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 自 radical
Study this radical's 58 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 自 radical
2 charactersHSK 2· 1 characters
HSK 2自
self, oneself
HSK 5· 1 characters
HSK 5臭
smelly, stinky
Vocabulary with the 自 radical
58 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 自 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (34/58 words of this radical).
nature
to come from; to originate from
oneself
freedom; free
bicycle
personally; in person; oneself
each; respectively; on one's own
to act independently; autonomous
since; ever since
automatic; automatically
nature; the natural world
conscientious; self-disciplined
oneself; itself
alone, by oneself
self, oneself
confident, self-confident
voluntary
suicide
proud
smelly, stinky
comfortable, at ease
to study on one's own, self-study
the self, the ego
tap water
to talk to oneself, to mutter
involuntarily, uncontrollably
to originate from, to come from
Carefree, content, happily at ease
unable to restrain one's emotions
without authorization; on one's own initiative
independent and self-reliant
on one's own authority, surreptitiously
to consider oneself always right, subjectively stubborn
self-confidence
Why learn vocabulary by the 自 radical?
The 自 radical hints at the meaning nose; self. 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 2 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 58 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.