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The water radical 氵: a clue, not a complete definition
氵 is the left-side form of the water radical; use it as a classification and meaning clue, then verify the complete kanji and reading.
The left-side radical 氵 is called さんずい and is classified under 水. It can help you notice a water-related meaning component, but it does not supply the complete word or reading.
Recognize the shape
水 is the standalone kanji. On the left side of many kanji, the radical appears as 氵.
水を飲みます。Use the radical as a clue
The official Japanese curriculum gives a component analysis in which さんずい contributes a water meaning while another component contributes sound. That is the useful distinction: a meaning clue is not a pronunciation rule.
| Kanji | Common word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 海 | 海 | うみ | sea |
| 池 | 池 | いけ | pond |
| 湖 | 湖 | みずうみ | lake |
| 泳 | 泳ぐ | およぐ | to swim |
| 洗 | 洗う | あらう | to wash |
海で泳ぎます。手を洗ってください。Read the whole word
The radical index groups these kanji together, but their readings differ. Learn 海 as うみ, 池 as いけ, and 洗う as あらう in actual words.
- First
- 氵
- Second
- 洗う
The first is a radical classification; the second is a complete word with its own reading.
Common mistake
The radical itself does not carry a polite or casual register. In the examples, 泳ぎます uses the polite nonpast ます form. Polite style can address a listener or reader: the cited style guidance covers respectful speech, formal situations, and reader-directed writing such as letters. 洗ってください is a polite directive or request, but it still asks the other person to act and can sound directive outside an instructional or otherwise appropriate relationship. Here it is a written teaching example representing an instruction, not a claim that ください suits every social situation or that it is the style of neutral expository prose.
Language reference
Vocabulary
- さんずい
- the left-side water radical 氵noun
- 洗う
- to washgodan verb
Try it
Question 1: You see an unfamiliar kanji with 氵 on the left. What can you reasonably conclude before checking a dictionary?
- A. 氵 may be a water-related meaning clue.
- B. It definitely means water and is read みず.
Show answer
A氵 may be a water-related meaning clue.
The sources support 氵 as the water radical and as a possible water-related meaning component. They do not support treating it as the complete definition or reading.