When the formation data identifies 无 as semantic, the relevant character record states that role.
← All 214 radical families
Semantic role Phonetic role Radical classification
无
Radical 71 of 214 · 4 strokes
Not
wú
Unicode uses 无 as a Kangxi radical category. Its reference meaning is negative, no, not; Kangxi radical 71. The relationship to an individual character may be semantic, historical, or primarily classificatory.
2 course characters25 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
2 course characters
Expand a character to view its structure, formation analysis, and related HSK words.
Showing 2 characters.
无wúno, not; lacking, -lessDetails+
pictographic formation
Formation: Originally a pictograph of a person (大) dancing with ornamental leather hides (革) hanging from his arms, conveying the meaning "dance". Later, two feet (舛) were added to the bottom of the character to form 舞 (dance), and 無 was borrowed for its sound to represent the meaning "not". The simplified character 无 was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character 無.
- 大Pictographic componentbig
- 革Pictographic componentanimal hide; leather
- 革Pictographic componentanimal hide; leather
- Category radical
- 无 not
- Visual structure
- 一 + 尢
HSK words with 无23 words in this course
既jìalready, since, then; both; de factoDetails+
semantic–phonetic
Formation: Phonosemantic compound. 皀 represents the meaning and 旡 represents the sound.
- 皀Semantic componentseed; kernel; grain
- 旡Phonetic componentchoke
- Category radical
- 无 not
- Visual structure
- 旡
HSK words with 既2 words 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.