gǒng
Radical no. 553 strokes

The radical

Two hands lifting together

Memory hook

Two hands brought together to raise something. It survives only inside characters: 开 (to open), 弄 (to handle), 弃 (to discard) — all two-handed work.

The radical (read gǒng) means two hands lifting together. The HSK 3.0 data contains 6 characters and 89 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.

Practise the 廾 radical

Study this radical's 89 words with flashcards or a quiz.

The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium

Characters with the 廾 radical

6 characters

HSK 1· 1 characters

HSK 1

kāi

to open

HSK 2· 1 characters

HSK 2

nòng

to do; to fix

HSK 5· 1 characters

HSK 5

to abandon, to forsake

HSK 6· 1 characters

HSK 6

different; unusual

HSK 7-9· 2 characters

HSK 7-9

to play chess (especially Go)

harmful; bad

Vocabulary with the 廾 radical

89 words

Words containing at least one character with the 廾 radical, ordered by HSK level.

The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (47/89 words of this radical).

kāi

to open

开会
kāihuì

to have a meeting; to attend a meeting

开玩笑
kāiwánxiào

to joke; to make a joke

开车
kāichē

to drive a car

打开
kāi

to open

分开
fēnkāi

to separate; to divide

开学
kāixué

to start school; to begin a new term

开心
kāixīn

happy; glad

开机
kāi

to turn on (a computer, phone, etc.)

nòng

to do; to fix

离开
kāi

to leave; to depart from

走开
zǒukāi

to go away; to step aside

公开
gōngkāi

open; not concealed

展开
zhǎnkāi

to develop; to unfold

开业
kāi

to open for business; to start operations

开发
kāi

to develop

开始
kāishǐ

to begin; to start

开展
kāizhǎn

to launch; to carry out; to develop

开放
kāifàng

to open; to open to the public

推开
tuīkāi

to push open (a door, an obstacle)

解开
jiěkāi

to untie; to undo (a knot, lock, etc.)

召开
zhàokāi

to convene, to hold (a meeting)

开水
kāishuǐ

boiled water

开花
kāihuā

to bloom, to blossom

拉开
kāi

to pull open, to open

离不开
bukāi

cannot be separated from

隔开
kāi

to separate, to partition

开幕
kāi

to open, to inaugurate

开幕式
kāishì

opening ceremony

放弃
fàng

to give up; to abandon

差异
chā

difference, discrepancy

开关
kāiguān

switch, valve

开创
kāichuàng

to pioneer, to initiate

开夜车
kāichē

to stay up late working, to burn the midnight oil

开头
kāitóu

beginning, the start

开设
kāishè

to set up, to establish

开通
kāitōng

to open (a route, a line)

异常
cháng

abnormal, unusual

丢弃
diū

to discard, to abandon

优异
yōu

excellent, outstanding

作弊
zuò

to cheat, cheating

公开信
gōngkāixìn

open letter

卖弄
màinong

to show off, to flaunt

变异
biàn

mutation

嘲弄
cháonòng

to mock, to tease

因人而异
yīnrénér

varying from person to person

大同小异
tóngxiǎo

largely the same with minor differences

Why learn vocabulary by the 廾 radical?

The 廾 radical hints at the meaning two hands lifting together. 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 89 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.

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