Kanji World

⚖️ Hen + Tsukuri Format

In the most common layout, kanji is shaped in a hen (left) + tsukuri (right) format. One side is the radical for classification; the other often carries extra meaning or hints the sound (a phonetic).

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These three make a perfect mini-lab: the radical and non-radical parts take on different roles — working together as semantic and phonetic components.

— Radical: 攵（ぼくづくり / taskmaster, “action/strike”）on the right (tsukuri). Left 方 functions as a phonetic, pointing to the sound family (ホウ). This shows a right-side radical case: a strong tsukuri chosen as the classifier.

— Radical: 石（いしへん）on the left (hen), carrying the “stone / break” idea. Right 皮 is the phonetic, cueing the reading (ハ). Here the radical is the hen, a classic left-side classifier.

— Radical: 刂（りっとう / knife）on the right (tsukuri), a well-known “strong tsukuri” radical. Left 半 serves as phonetic, pointing to ハン. Another case where the right-side component is chosen as the radical.

The term tsukuri is often used in the context of a hen + tsukuri format — where sometimes the tsukuri itself is the radical, and sometimes it is not. This flexibility is key to understanding how radicals and phonetics work together in kanji.

Wrap-up

Radicals classify; other parts complete the meaning or hint the sound. In hen + tsukuri layouts, either side can be the radical — and the other often works as a phonetic. Recognizing this teamwork is the shortcut to faster kanji decoding.

Some radicals listed under Other in Kanji World are often found in tsukuri (right-side) or ashi (bottom) positions. They don’t belong to the standard categories like hen or kanmuri, but their placement still follows the same principle: one side carries the radical role, while the other part may act as phonetic or semantic support.

Next steps:
• Browse radicals
• Practice with random kanji (Level 2)
• Practice with random kanji (Level 3)
• Practice with random kanji (Level 4)
• Practice with random kanji (Level 5)
• Practice with random kanji (Level 6)

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