卜
The 卜 radical
Divination
Memory hook
The crack in a tortoise shell held over fire — the ancients read that crack to foretell. 占 (to divine, to occupy) and 卦 (a divinatory sign) come from it.
The 卜 radical (read bǔ) means divination. The HSK 3.0 data contains 6 characters and 25 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 卜 radical
Study this radical's 25 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 卜 radical
6 charactersHSK 2· 2 characters
HSK 2占
to occupy; to take up
卡
card (credit card, ATM, membership)
HSK 5· 1 characters
HSK 5卧
lie
HSK 7-9· 3 characters
HSK 7-9卜
to divine; divination
卤
brine, broth
卦
trigram (in the Book of Changes, a symbol used for divination or to express philosophy)
Vocabulary with the 卜 radical
25 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 卜 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (19/25 words of this radical).
credit card
to occupy; to take up
card (credit card, ATM, membership)
bank card (usually a debit card)
to possess, to own
to occupy, to seize
bedroom
greeting card
to occupy, to take possession of
sleeping berth (on a train)
all-in-one card, multi-purpose pass
to seize, occupy (another's territory or property illegally)
the Eight Trigrams (in the Book of Changes)
to divine; divination, fortune-telling
to occupy, to take up
hairpin, clip
card
truck, freight vehicle
cartoon, animation
Why learn vocabulary by the 卜 radical?
The 卜 radical hints at the meaning divination. 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 6 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 25 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.