The Position of Radicals in Compound Characters
As stated above, radicals can appear in several different positions within a compound character. Below we have listed the common positions for radicals in compound characters:
The left side of a compound character: 江。
The right side of a compound character: 政。
The middle of a compound character: 哀。
The top of a compound character: 室。
The bottom of a compound character: 堑。
Half-enircling another radical or integral character: 闯。
When you learn a new compound character, identifying familiar radicals contained within will help you memorize both the form and the meaning of the new character. Sometimes radicals also serve as phonetic cues for a pronunciation similar to the radical. In these cases identifying the radical will also help you learn the pronunciation of the compound character.
