📘 Radicals vs. Full Meaning

Example 1: 話はな（to speak）

• Left: 言（ごんべん / official radical） ➡️
• Right: 舌（した / component） ➡️

Both parts point to speech: 言 means “speech,” and 舌 means “tongue.” Here the radical on the left clearly classifies by meaning (words/speech), while the right-side component reinforces the idea. Since 舌 sits on the right—traditionally a weaker position for radical assignment—it is not the radical in this character (though 舌 can be a radical elsewhere).

Example 2: 競きそう（to compete）

• Top-left: 立（たつ / official radical） ➡️
• Center: 口（くち / component） ➡️
• Bottom: 儿（ひとあし / component） ➡️

All three parts, two sets of them — 立, 口, and 儿 — contribute to the sense of rivalry or action. In fact, each of these components can serve as a radical in other kanji, and all are considered fairly strong radicals. Yet in 競きそ, only 立 is officially recognized — historically because of its position (top-left) and its role in dictionary sorting. The lesson: the official radical isn’t always the “strongest” or most meaningful piece — it’s the one chosen for classification.

In practice, reading kanji is about combining signals: a radical that classifies (often by meaning), plus other components that add nuance or even hint at sound. Keep an eye on both: the radical for lookup and broad theme, and the other parts for the full picture.