When the formation data identifies 色 as semantic, the relevant character record states that role.
← All 214 radical families
Semantic role Phonetic role Radical classification
色
Radical 139 of 214 · 6 strokes
Color
sè
Unicode uses 色 as a Kangxi radical category. Its reference meaning is color, tint, hue, shade; form, body; beauty, desire for beauty; Kangxi radical 139. The relationship to an individual character may be semantic, historical, or primarily classificatory.
3 course characters12 character–word links
Semantic–phonetic characters identify the component associated with historical pronunciation.
The primary dictionary radical is shown independently of any claim about modern meaning.
Character index
3 course characters
Expand a character to view its structure, formation analysis, and related HSK words.
Showing 3 characters.
色sècolor, tint, hue, shade; beauty, form; sexDetails+
pictographic formation
Formation: Depicts a kneeling person (卩) being held down by a knife (刀). Based on the original meaning "restrain", now written as 抑. The current meaning "color" is a phonetic loan.
- 刀Pictographic componentknife
- 卩Pictographic componentperson
- Category radical
- 色 color
- Visual structure
- ⺈ + 巴
HSK words with 色10 words in this course
艳yànbeautiful, glamorous, sexy, voluptuousDetails+
compound formation
Compound formation: Lush 丰 and sexy 色
- Category radical
- 色 color
- Visual structure
- 丰 + 色
HSK words with 艳1 word in this course
艷yànbeautiful, glamorous, sexy, voluptuousDetails+
compound formation
Compound formation: Lush 豐 and sexy 色
- Category radical
- 色 color
- Visual structure
- 豐 + 色
HSK words with 艷1 word in this course
Classification: Unicode 17.0 kRSUnicode. Structure: Make Me a Hanzi. Formation: Dong Chinese Lexicon where available, with a documented Make Me a Hanzi fallback. Method and licenses.