麦
The 麦 radical
Wheat, barley
Variants: 麥
Memory hook
A wheat plant with a heavy ear and roots 夂 at its foot. Seen in 小麦 (wheat), 麦子 (wheat grain), 麦当劳 (McDonald's).
The 麦 radical (read mài) means wheat, barley. The HSK 3.0 data contains 1 characters and 1 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 麦 radical
Practise the 1 characters carrying the 麦 radical in correct stroke order: watch, trace, then write from memory.
Characters with the 麦 radical
1 charactersHSK 6· 1 characters
HSK 6麦
wheat, wheat plant
Vocabulary with the 麦 radical
1 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 麦 radical, ordered by HSK level.
wheat
At least 4 words are needed to practise.
Why learn vocabulary by the 麦 radical?
The 麦 radical hints at the meaning wheat, barley. 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 1 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 1 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.