The 24 Cangjie Radicals and Their Auxiliary Shapes (字根與輔助字形)

Every Cangjie key, the family of look-alike shapes it covers, and real characters that show each shape in use.

Why auxiliary shapes matter

If Cangjie only had 24 radicals exactly as drawn, you could type only a few hundred characters. Real characters are full of shapes that are like a radical without being identical: the three-dot water radical 氵 is not 水, and the grass top 艹 is not 廿. Cangjie handles this by assigning every common shape to the key it most resembles or historically derives from. These are the auxiliary shapes (輔助字形).

The table at the end of each section uses real codes from our Cangjie 5 dictionary. Click any character to see its full breakdown and stroke order, or open the Cangjie keyboard reference for a page per key.

Philosophical group: A–G

A 日 covers 日 and 曰-like boxes, and starts the gate frame 門, which is AN. B 月 covers 月 and many covering tops: 冖 in 軍 BJWJ月十田十, 爫 in 受 BBE月月水 and the frame of 同 BMR月一口. C 金 covers 金 and the splayed pair 八, as in 公 CI金戈, 共 TC廿金 and 只 RC口金.

D 木 is the tree, including the 木 at the bottom of many shapes. E 水 covers 水, the water radical 氵 in 江 EM水一, and 又, as in 友 KE大水 and 取 SJE尸十水. F 火 covers 火, the four dots 灬 in 魚 NWF弓田火, 小 in 少 FH火竹 and the ⺌ top of 當 FBRW火月口田. G 土 covers 土 and 士: 地 GPD土心木, 吉 GR土口, 志 GP土心.

Stroke group: H–N

These keys stand for individual strokes and simple stroke combinations.

• H 竹: the falling stroke 丿 and the bamboo top ⺮. 白 HA竹日 starts with its 丿, and 自 HBU竹月山 too.
• I 戈: the dot 丶 and the shape 厶. 去 GI土戈 ends with 厶, and 广 is I in 床 ID戈木.
• J 十: the cross and the roof 宀: 家 JMSO十一尸人, 字 JND十弓木, 安 JV十女.
• K 大: 大, the ナ shape in 有 KB大月, 右 KR大口 and 左 KM大一, and the cross 乂 in 父 CK金大.
• L 中: the vertical 丨 and the clothing radical 衤: 被 LDHE中木竹水, 初 LSH中尸竹.
• M 一: the horizontal and shapes starting with one, like 厂 in 原 MHAF一竹日火.
• N 弓: turning and hooked strokes: 了 NN弓弓, 子 ND弓木, 九 KN大弓.

Body group: O–R

O 人 covers 人, the person radical 亻 and 入: 你 ONF人弓火, 他 OPD人心木, 入 OH人竹. P 心 covers 心, the upright heart 忄 and the 匕 shape: 情 PQMB心手一月, 比 PP心心, 化 OP人心. Q 手 covers 手, the hand radical 扌 and hand-like crossbars: 打 QMN手一弓, 年 OQ人手, 拳 FQQ火手手. R 口 is every 口 shape: 品 RRR口口口, 回 WR田口.

Shape group: S–Y

• S 尸: 尸, the 匚 frame and 刀-like hooks: 區 SRRR尸口口口, 刀 SH尸竹, 分 CSH金尸竹, 巨 SS尸尸.
• T 廿: 廿 and the grass radical 艹: 草 TAJ廿日十, 花 TOP廿人心, 黃 TMLC廿一中金.
• U 山: 山, the open box 凵 and the 乚 hook: 出 UU山山, 凶 UK山大, 孔 NDU弓木山.
• V 女: 女, the silk radical 糹 (coded VF) and 幺-type turns: 紅 VFM女火一, 結 VFGR女火土口.
• W 田: 田 and the enclosure 囗: 國 WIRM田戈口一, 回 WR田口, 因 WK田大.
• Y 卜: 卜, the walk radical 辶, the 亠 top and 言 in compounds (YR): 這 YYMR卜卜一口, 文 YK卜大, 市 YLB卜中月, 計 YRJ卜口十.

The special keys X and Z

X 難 stands for shapes that none of the 24 radicals can describe, such as the inside of 臼 (臼 HX竹難) or 身 (身 HXH竹難竹). In the Cangjie 5 table, X is also a prefix that reaches variant forms sharing a code. Z 重 is not used in ordinary characters; it opens symbol tables, as explained in Cangjie punctuation and symbols.

How to memorise them

1. Learn the rhyme 日月金木水火土、竹戈十大中一弓、人心手口、尸廿山女田卜 and the key positions.
2. Learn the dozen most frequent auxiliary shapes listed in the key takeaways.
3. Practise with the typing trainer, using the “24 radical keys” set before moving on to real characters.
4. When a shape confuses you, find a character you know that contains it and look it up. Cangjie is consistent, so one example usually settles the question.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

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