The Cliff Radical 厂: Overview, Mnemonics, and Vocabulary

Want to learn more Chinese words related to hiking, trekking, and rock climbing? Look out for the Chinese cliff radical, 厂, as it will help you spot these related words. 

In this article, we’ll introduce you to the cliff radical: what it is and how to memorize it with fun mnemonics. 

What is the Chinese cliff radical?

Chinese cliff radical

In Chinese, the cliff radical is pronounced as “hǎn” and written as 厂. 

This radical has two strokes only and is listed as radical 27 according to the Kangxi radical chart (a system of radicals of Chinese characters). In the Kangxi Dictionary, 厂 is commonly used in 129 characters out of the other 49,030 characters.

It looks similar to other radicals such as 一 yī (one), 亅 jué (hook), or 口 kǒu (mouth), which illustrate the object one character describes. 

The cliff radical 厂 also shows how the character and the object they describe are closely related.

What is the stroke order of the radical 厂?

The cliff radical has two strokes.

Radical cliff stroke order

How can you memorize the cliff radical?

You can memorize the cliff radical by imagining that it looks like a cliff! 

Though the radical 厂 is easy to memorize, there’s a learning technique that lets learners memorize more complex Chinese word with funny stories rather than force memorization—the mnemonics technique.

Pandanese have created all the mnemonics for over 6,000 Chinese characters for you to learn. Combined with the SRS, these Chinese flashcards will help you get the most out of your Chinese learning. It’s basically the Chinese Wanikani and best Anki Alternative for you to use. Try it out!

Cliff radical vocabulary list for you!

Curious about the cliff radical and other related terms? Enrich your knowledge with this vocabulary.

Frequently asked questions:

What is the Chinese radical for Cliff?

The Chinese radical for cliff is 厂. It is radical 27 on the Kangxi Dictionary.

In closing

The cliff radical appears in many Chinese characters and vocabulary. While some Chinese words have no direct correlation to hiking, trekking, and rock climbing, it is fun to create mnemonic stories to help you learn how to recognize these words.