幺
The 幺 radical
Tiny, a short thread
Memory hook
The top half of 糸 — a single fine thread, hence 'tiny': 幼 (young), 幻 (illusory), 幽 (secluded).
The 幺 radical (read yāo) means tiny, a short thread. The HSK 3.0 data contains 4 characters and 19 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 幺 radical
Study this radical's 19 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 幺 radical
4 charactersHSK 3· 1 characters
HSK 3乡
rural area, hometown
HSK 4· 1 characters
HSK 4幼
young, of tender age
HSK 5· 1 characters
HSK 5幽
dark, gloomy
HSK 6· 1 characters
HSK 6幻
illusory, unreal
Vocabulary with the 幺 radical
19 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 幺 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (18/19 words of this radical).
hometown; native place
hometown; native place
kindergarten, preschool
rural area, hometown
countryside, village
humorous
urban and rural
dream, fantasy
fellow townsman, person from the same hometown
to go to the countryside, to go down to rural areas
unpredictably changeable; hard to predict
countryside, rural area
fellow villager; folks from the same village
illusory image, phantom, mirage
hallucination
naive, childish
dreamlike, fantastical
science fiction
Why learn vocabulary by the 幺 radical?
The 幺 radical hints at the meaning tiny, a short thread. 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 4 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 19 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.