The structure of hieroglyphs.
According to the method of formation, hieroglyphs are of the following types:
pictographic, ideographic, phonographic.
Pictographichieroglyphs are the simplest hieroglyphs. In them we can find an echo of the shape of the designating object, for example, 口 ， 心 ， 日。
Ideographichieroglyphs are composed of two simple hieroglyphs, such as 信.
Phonographichieroglyphs are composed of key and phonetics. The key conveys the distant meaning of the hieroglyph (rather, even the group to which the hieroglyph is related), and the phonetic conveys the sound of the hieroglyph and does not carry the meaning.
Most often, the key is located on the left, above and below the hieroglyph, and the phonetic on the right, but options are possible.
For example, the hieroglyph 枝 branch consists of the key "tree" and the phonetics "zhi".
About 80% of Chinese characters are phonographic.
In total chinese - 214 keys. Knowing them all by heart is completely optional, but it is advisable to memorize the most common ones.
A list of the most common Chinese character keys:
List of some phoneticians:
寸 possible readings: cun
Possible readings: sun, xiao
每 possible readings: mei
羊 possible readings: yang, xian
银 possible readings: yan, yin, hen, gen.
重 possible readings: tuan, zhong
谁 possible readings: shei, shui, tui
Why do we need to know basic keys and phonetics?
Keys are necessary for at least an approximate understanding of the meaning, which makes it possible to guess the meaning of the word.
We may need phonetics in situations where we need to guess the pronunciation of a word. It may also be needed when we need to find a word in the dictionary, but we cannot use the font search. For example, we need to find out the meaning of the hieroglyph: 银. By the key, you can understand that the word has something to do with metal. Phonetic can be read as yan, yin, hen, gen. Looking through these combinations, we can easily find the word 银 - yín silver.
EXERCISES
1) Name the value of the key and, accordingly, guess the semantic category of the hieroglyph
- 洋
key - water, value - ocean
- 钱
key - metal, meaning - "money"
- 惊
key is heart, meaning is to be scared
- 热
key - fire, meaning - "hot"
- 筷
key - bamboo, meaning - "chopsticks"
- 馆
key - food, meaning - "restaurant"
- 让
key - speech, meaning - "yield"
2) Guess about the possible pronunciation of the hieroglyph by phonetics:
- 跟
possible pronunciations of phonetics: yan, yin, hen, gen. Hieroglyph pronunciation: gēn
- 鲜
possible pronunciations of phonetics: yang, xian. Hieroglyph pronunciation: xiān
- 畽
possible pronunciations of phonetics: tuan, zhong. Hieroglyph pronunciation: tuǎn
- 梅
possible pronunciations of phonetics: mei. Character pronunciation: méi
- 脽
possible pronunciations of phonetics: shei, shui, tui. Hieroglyph pronunciation: tuǐ
- 忖
possible pronunciations of phonetics: cun. Hieroglyph pronunciation: cǔn
- 锺
possible pronunciations of phonetics: tuan, zhong. Hieroglyph pronunciation: zhōng
- 洋
possible pronunciations of phonetics: yang, xian. Hieroglyph pronunciation: yáng
- 推
possible pronunciations of phonetics: shei, shui, tui. Hieroglyph pronunciation: tuī
Why are keys needed?
In order to find a word from European languages \u200b\u200bin the dictionary, it is enough to arm yourself good vocabulary and find the desired word by initial letters. We cannot do this with Japanese words because of the hieroglyphic system. The most common dictionaries are key-based dictionaries. What to do in this case? How to find the right one among thousands of squiggles?
The mandatory minimum of kanji that you need to know to live in Japan includes 2,136 kanji. At first glance, it might seem that hieroglyphs are a chaotic set of sticks and lines, the order of which only an exceptional mind can remember. In fact, it's not so scary. Each, even the most unimaginable hieroglyph, can be decomposed into several simple symbols. These simple characters are keys, or in Japanese 部首 bushyu. That is, the key is a graphic sign that helps to classify and find the hieroglyph in the dictionary.
Some keys, which are also called radicals, can be independent hieroglyphs, such as the keys “person” 人, “heart” 心 or “hand” 手. Sometimes knowing the meaning of the keys helps you remember the meaning of the kanji. For example, the hieroglyph 休, which means “rest,” “rest,” consists of the keys “man” and “tree”. While working in the field, people rest (where?) Under a tree. Or another example - the hieroglyph "cheap" 安 consists of the elements "woman" and "roof". Women under the roof are cheap. But this method is not appropriate in all cases. Sometimes you have to memorize abstract concepts.
Often, without knowing the meaning of the kanji itself, one can guess which area this character may be from. For example, hieroglyphs with the radical “fish” 魚 will most likely mean the names of fish (鮭 salmon, 鯨 whale), with the key “water” 氵 - everything related to water: 泳 (swim) 、 池 (pond). But it is necessary to remember about one peculiarity, that sometimes the Chinese character was assigned to the Japanese word “just like that”, it is meaningless, the Japanese also “invented” 70 of their own characters, so it’s still better to clarify the meanings of kanji in the dictionary.
There are 214 keys in total, which are located in the key table. Each key is assigned its own 
number. Many people recommend memorizing the number of radicals in order to quickly find the desired hieroglyph. In our opinion, there is no need to sit and cram all 214 keys at once. They will be memorized gradually as you read texts and search for a word in the dictionary. After learning Japanese regularly for a while, you will be able to easily recognize the keys in unfamiliar kanji and count the features.
Hieroglyphs can have one or several keys. In the dictionary, radicals are arranged in ascending order of strokes from one to seventeen.
Keys are divided into strong and weak. If an element is always or almost always a key, then it is a strong key (for example, "fire" 火), and weak keys are often not keys (for example, an "inch" 寸).
Rules for determining the key in the hieroglyph.
When looking for a hieroglyph, the most important thing is to determine which element is the key. There are some guidelines for this:
1) First you need to make sure that the hieroglyph itself is not a key by counting the lines. And if kanji is not the key, then you can safely proceed to the next points.
2) If a complex hieroglyph consists of two elements, one of which is on the right and the other on the left, then, most likely, the left element will be the key. If you do not find the left element in the key table, then the key will be the right one.
3) If in a hieroglyph, consisting of two elements, one of them covers the other from several sides, then the key is often the covering element.
4) If in a complex hieroglyph, consisting of two elements, one of which is at the top and the other at the bottom, then the top one must be looked for first.
5) After you have found the key, you can start searching for the hieroglyph by the number of lines.
But it should be remembered that at first, the search for keys will take a large number of time, and correct definition the key will come with experience. Ideally, you need to know the entire key table in order to find the key quickly and correctly.
How the keys are located in hieroglyphs.
Depending on the position, the keys have their own names. Below we give examples with different situations keys
Nin-ben (human)
亻. 仕、休、代、住、体、作、何、伝
Tsuti-ben (earth)
土. 地、場、塩、増
Onna - hen (woman)
女. 妹、姉、姫、娘、婚、嫁
Gyōnin - ben (walking person)
彳. 役、彼、待、後、徒、得、復
Rissin-ben (heart)
忄. 情、快、怖、性
Te-hen (hand)
扌. 打、持、指、払
Ki-hen (wood)
木. 村、材、松、林、校
Tsukuri
刀. 刊、判、別、利、副
Akubi (slit)
欠. 次、歌、歓
Kanmuri
U- kanmuri (crown)
宀. 守、安、完、宇、宙、定、宝、実、室
Take- kanmuri (bamboo)
竹. 笑、第、筆、等、算
Kusa- kanmuri (grass)
艹. 花、若、英、茶、草
Ashi
Hitoashi (human feet)
儿. 元、兄、先、光、党
Kokoro (heart)
心. 思、急、息、悲、意、悪、感
Tare
Shikabane (flag)
尸. 尼、尾、局、居、届、屋
Ma-dare (dotted cliff)
广. 広、床、底、店、府、度、庫、庭
Nyō
Shin-shyō (road)
辵. 返、近、辺、通、連、週、道
En- nyō (wide step)
Kamae
Kuni-kamae (box)
囗. 困、団、囲、図、国、園
Mongamae (gate)
門. 開、間、関、閉
The order of the outline of the hieroglyphs.
Rules for writing graphic elements:
- when drawing a hieroglyph, you must imagine that you are writing it in a square;
- the hieroglyph must be written from top to bottom and from left to right;
- horizontal lines are written first (always from left to right)
- vertical and oblique are written from top to bottom;
- if the hieroglyph has a central, right and left parts, then write the central part first
- the enclosing element is written first
- vertical bars crossing the center of the hieroglyph are written last
- when counting features, it must be remembered that an element written in one piece by hand is taken as one feature, and not the printed form of a hieroglyph. For example, in the key "field" 田 not 6 lines, but 5, since the top and right walls are written in one motion.
List of hieroglyphic keys.
- 一 (い ち) one
2. 丨 (ぼ う) rod, rod
3.丶 (て ん) dot
4. 丿 \u200b\u200b(て ん) NO-kana
5.乙 (お つ) fish hook
6.亅 (は ね ぼ う) thorn, thorn, mustache
- 二 (に) two
8.亠 (な べ ぶ た) cover
9. 人 (ひ と) person
10. 儿 (に ん に ょ う) human feet
11. 入 (い る) enter
12. 八 (は ち が し ら) eight
13. 冂 (ま き が ま え) showcase, counter
14. 冖 (わ か ん む り) crown
15. 冫 (に す い) water drops
16. 几 (つ く え) table
17. 凵 (う け ば こ) open box
18. 刀 (か た な) sword
19. 力 (ち か ら) strength
20. 勹 (つ つ み が ま え) wrap, wrap
21. 匕 (さ じ の ひ) spoon
22. 匚 (は こ が ま え) open wall box
23. 匸 (か く し が ま え) hide
24. 十 (じ ゅ う) cross
25. 卜 (ぼ く の と) magic wand
26. 卩 (ふ し づ く り) print
27. 厂 (が ん だ れ) cliff
28. 厶 (む) i
29. 又 (ま た) in addition, while
- 口 (く ち) mouth
31. 囗 (く に が ま え) box
32. 土 (つ ち) earth, soil
33. 士 (さ む ら い) samurai
34. 夂 (ふ ゆ が し ら) winter, start
35. 夊 (す い) dragging feet
36. 夕 (ゆ う べ) evening
37. 大 (だ い) large
38. 女 (お ん な) woman
39. 子 (こ) child
40. 宀 (う か ん む り) crown
41. 寸 (す ん) glue
42. 小 (ち い さ い) small
43. 尢 (ま げ あ し) curved "big"
44. 尸 (し か ば ね) flag
45. 屮 (て つ) old grass
46. \u200b\u200b山 (や ま) mountain
47. 巛 (ま が り が わ) curved "river"
48. 工 (た く み) skill, worker
49. 己 (お の れ) snake
50. 巾 (は ば) clothes
51. 干 (は す) dry
52. 幺 (い と が し ら) short thread
53. 广 (ま だ れ) cliff with a dot
54. 廴 (い ん に ょ う) wide stride
55. 廾 (に じ ゅ う あ し) twenty
56. 弋 (し き が ま え) ceremony
57. 弓 (ゆ み) bow (weapon)
58. ヨ (け い が し ら) pig head
59. 彡 (さ ん づ く り) bunch
60. 彳 (ぎ ょ う に ん べ ん) walking person
- 心 (り っ し ん べ ん) heart
62. 戈 (か の ほ こ) halberd
63. 戸 (と び ら の と) door
64. 手 (て) hand
65. 支 (し ん よ う) branch
66. 攴 (ぼ く づ く り) folding chair
67. 文 (ぶ ん に ょ う) sentence, phrase
68. 斗 (と ま す) bucket, ladle
69. 斤 (お の) ax
70. 方 (ほ う) side, direction
71. 无 (む に ょ う) curved "paradise"
72. 日 (に ち) sun
73. 曰 (に ち) flat sun
74. 月 (つ き) moon
75. 木 (き) tree
76. 欠 (あ く び) slit, space
77. 止 (と め る) stop
78. 歹 (が つ へ ん) death
79. 殳 (ほ こ つ く り) windy again
80. 毋 (な か れ) mother
81. 比 (く ら べ る ひ) running race
82. 毛 (け) wool
83. 氏 (う じ) clan
84. 气 (き が ま え) spirit
85. 水 (み ず) water
86. 火 (ひ) fire
87. 爪 (つ め) claw
88. 父 (ち ち) father
89. 爻 (め め) double X
90. 爿 (し ょ う へ ん) left-handed stencil
91. 片 (か た) one side stencil
92. 牙 (き ば へ ん) fang
93. 牛 (う し) cow
94. 犬 (い ぬ) dog
96. 王 (お う) king
- 玄 (げ ん) mysterious
96. 玉 (う し) jewel
97. 瓜 (う り) watermelon
98. 瓦 (か わ ら) roof tiles
99. 甘 (あ ま い) sweet
100. 生 (う ま れ る) life
101. 用 (も ち い る) use
102. 田 (た) rice field
103. 疋 (ひ き) strength
104. 疔 (や ま い だ れ) disease
105. 癶 (は つ が し ら) "tent" with dots
106. 白 (し ろ) white
107. 皮 (け が わ) hide
108. 皿 (さ ら) plate
109. 目 (め) eye
110. 矛 (む の ほ こ) halberd
111. 矢 (や) arrow
112. 石 (い し) stone
113. 示 (し め す) show, point
114. 禹 (う の あ し) MU in box
115. 禾 (の ぎ) tree with two branches
116. 穴 (あ な) slit, slit
117. 立 (た つ) stand
- 竹 (た け) bamboo
119. 米 (こ め) rice
120. 糸 (い と) thread
121. 缶 (ほ と ぎ) can, watering can
122. 网 (あ み が し ら) network
123. 羊 (ひ つ じ) Sheep
124. 羽 (は ね) feathers
125. 老 (お い) old man
126. 而 (し か し て) Rake
127. 耒 (ら い す き) tree with three branches
128. 耳 (み み) ear
129. 聿 (ふ で づ く り) writing brush
130. 肉 (に く) meat
131. 臣 (し ん) vassal
132. 自 (み ず か ら) yourself
133. 至 (い た る) high point, climax
134. 臼 (う す) mortar
135. 舌 (し た) language
136. 舛 (ま す) dance
137. 舟 (ふ ね) ship
138. 艮 (う し と ら) good
139. 色 (い ろ) color
140. 艸 (く さ) grass
141. 虍 (と ら か ん む り) tiger
142. 虫 (む し) insect
143. 血 (ち) blood
144. 行 (ぎ ょ う) go
145. 衣 (こ ろ も) clothes
146. 襾 (に し) west
- 見 (み る) see
148. 角 (つ の) angle, horn
149. 言 (こ と ば) speak
150. 谷 (た に) valley
151. 豆 (ま め) bob
152. 豕 (い の こ) pig
153. 豸 (む じ な) Badger
154. 貝 (か い) seashell
155. 赤 (あ か) red
156. 走 (は し る) run
157. 足 (あ し) leg
158. 身 (み) body
159. 車 (く る ま) wheel
160. 辛 (か ら い) spicy
161. 辰 (し ん の た つ) dragon
162. 辷 (し ん に ゅ う) road
163. 邑 (む ら) village
164. 酉 (ひ よ み の と り) sake
165. 釆 (の ご め) Dice
166. 里 (さ と) village
- 金 (か ね) metal
168. 長 (な が い) long
169. 門 (も ん) gate
170. 阜 (ぎ ふ の ふ) village
171. 隶 (れ い づ く り) slave
172. 隹 (ふ る と り) old bird
173. 雨 (あ め) rain
174. 青 (あ う) green, blue
175. 非 (あ ら ず) injustice
- 面 (め ん) surface
177. 革 (か く の か わ) leather
178. 韋 (な め し が わ) burnt skin
179. 韭 (に ら) leek
180. 音 (お と) sound
181. 頁 (お お が い) head
182. 風 (か ぜ) Wind
183. 飛 (と ぶ) fly
184. 食 (し よ く) food
185. 首 (く び) neck
186. 香 (に お い こ う) smell
- 馬 (う ま) horse
188. 骨 (ほ ね) bone
189. 高 (た か い) high
190. 髟 (か み が し ら) long hair
191. 鬥 (と う が ま え) broken gate
192. 鬯 (ち よ う) aromatic herbs
193. 鬲 (か く) tripod
194. 鬼 (お に) demon
- 魚 (う お) fish
196. 鳥 (と り) bird
197. 鹵 (ろ) salt
198. 鹿 (し か) deer
199. 麥 (む ぎ) wheat
200. 麻 (あ さ) linen
- 黄 (き い ろ) yellow
202. 黍 (き び) millet
203. 黒 (く ろ) black
204. 黹 (ふ つ) sew
205. 黽 (べ ん) green frog
206. 鼎 (か な え) teapot with three legs
207. 鼓 (つ づ み) drum beat
208. 鼠 (ね ず み) Mouse
- 鼻 (は な) nose
210. 齊 (せ い) equal
- 齒 (は) tooth
- 龍 (り ゅ う) dragon
213. 龜 (か め) turtle
- 龠 (や く) flute
How do you learn all these Japanese kanji keys? We invite you to familiarize yourself with ours, and knowledge will help you consolidate our main course.
There is a strong belief that learning Chinese is extremely difficult or almost impossible. Nevertheless, most linguists and specialists specializing in China agree that knowledge of only 3000 hieroglyphs is enough for full communication, reading major newspapers and even many books.
Each Chinese character is a separate syllable that can be pronounced in one of five keys. It is the tones of the Chinese language that represent the greatest difficulty for learning, because analogs in native languageusually not. Nevertheless, after a certain, sometimes short, depending on the student's hearing, the moment comes when the tones begin to be distinguished by ear. For writing Chinese syllables based on tones, there is a Latin-based Pinyin system.
First tone - pronounced high and even, like the squeak of Morse code. It is indicated by a straight line above the letter mā or simply ma1.
Second tone - rising from medium to high, sounds like a kind of question. It is indicated by má or ma2.
Third tone - low decreasing, and then ascending to the middle level. The tone is more reminiscent of the Russian interjection "Well !?" It is denoted by mă or ma3.
Fourth tone - falling from high level to low, sounds like a kind of statement. It is denoted mà or ma4.
Syllable without tone - is not indicated in any way and is pronounced without tonality.
But the specificity of China and its inhabitants is such that the standard pronunciation of syllables is not widespread everywhere, and even after driving 500 kilometers to another point in the country or talking with a representative of Chinese nationality anywhere in the world, you risk being misunderstood. That is why the hieroglyphic notation for the Chinese is as important, both within the country and abroad, as any language spoken in the world plays. international communication for people from other countries.
To learn Chinese, you need to know 214 key hieroglyphic signs by which Chinese and japanese characters, are most often located in dictionaries. These 214 keys will help you easily navigate new and unfamiliar hieroglyphs, quickly find their meaning in dictionaries and reference books, and even approximately guess the meaning and pronunciation of hieroglyphs.
Key marks refer to the following areas of expertise:
Several key hieroglyphs.
It's time to talk about the role of keys in Chinese. You have probably heard more than once that there is a certain key table in the Chinese language. In this article, we will tell you about keys and keymap, what it consists of, and how to make a keymap your Chinese learning assistant.
Keys in Chinese are elements that make up a hieroglyph. Each of them consists of one or more features, which has its own name, number and brings the appropriate meaning to the word.
For example:
Key: 火 huǒ - fire
火灾 huǒzāi - fire
烤 kǎo - fry
Please note that the keys can be used as an independent hieroglyph, both in the word "fire" and be a component of it, as in the word "fry".
The keymap is where the Chinese language keys are collected. At the moment, the most common table includes 214 keys.
All keys are arranged in ascending order of features, from the most simple to the most complex. In the center is the key itself, below it its meaning. In the upper left corner, you can see its number and name. On the right is the number of strokes and other possible variations of this key in hieroglyphs.
How to make a spreadsheet your Chinese learning assistant?
Knowing the keys can make learning Chinese a lot easier.
- Using the keys, you can quickly find the characters in the dictionary
Don't forget that Chinese is a special language, without an alphabet, but with hieroglyphs. Accordingly, Chinese dictionaries are also different from ordinary dictionaries based on the first letters of a word: they are built on keys. That is, if you want to know the translation of a word, then you need to enter words on Pinyin, or find the required key included in this hieroglyph.
- Using the keys, you can guess the meaning of the word and, accordingly, quickly remember it, which is very important in learning a language.
I think everything is clear here. Here's an example:
Key: 水 shuǐ - water
Possible variations: 氵 氺
Words: 海 - sea, 冰 [bīng] - ice, 洗 - wash, wash, 湿润 - wet
As you can see, in all words there is a key "water" in one of the variations.
Here are some more examples:
Key: 人 - human
Variations: 亻
Words: 男人 - man, 作家 - writer, 你 - you
Key: 手 - hand
Variations: 扌 龵
Words: 拿 - take, 手机 - phone, 看 - look
By the way, the last word has a very curious origin. Above, as you noticed, the ключ key is "hand", and below the 目 key is "eye". And this hieroglyph appeared like this: 
A few more words about the key table in the end….
From my own experience, we can say that a keymap is like the alphabet (figuratively) in Chinese. Of course, having studied the table, you will not be able to read all the hieroglyphs and understand their exact meaning. But, you can guess the meaning of the word, it is easier to remember its spelling, and it is easier to remember how it is written after a while.
214 keys is not a large number, but also not a small one. To learn all the keys more efficiently and quickly, try to break them down by topic.
Let's see what they consist of. Traits and chinese characters keys - the main components of hieroglyphs that will help you uncover the secret of this mysterious writing.
Traits of Chinese characters
Take a closer look at the hieroglyphs: 如何 字 象形文字.
Each hieroglyph consists of separate lines, which are called features... The number of lines in hieroglyphs can be from one to 20-30 pieces. For example, the hieroglyph 一 - yī - one consists of one horizontal line.
But there are hieroglyphs-records for the number of features. For example, a hieroglyph with 84 strokes means "the sight of a dragon in flight." It is composed of three characters for "cloud" and three characters for "dragon".
Each line is written in a certain direction - from top to bottom or / and from left to right.
In total, there are several main features (see figure).
When several features are written together (without taking the pen off the paper), complex features are obtained, which are called ligatures.
Ligatures can start with horizontal or other traits. When counting lines in a hieroglyph, the ligature is counted as one line. Below are the ligature tables.
You can now distinguish the individual traits in each character: 如何 写 象形文字.
Graphemes and keys of Chinese characters
There is one more element of the hieroglyph - grapheme... A grapheme is a kind of mini-hieroglyph. A grapheme can itself be an independent hieroglyph (but not always), or it can be part of a hieroglyph. Example - 妈 \u003d 女 + 马.
There are graphemes the keys are graphemes that are associated with the meaning of a hieroglyph. The rest of the hieroglyph is called phoneticist - that is, defining sound.
So, a hieroglyph consists of graphemes and individual features.
You also need to take into account that there are traditional hieroglyphs (they operate in Taiwan, Korea), and simplified ones (they operate in the PRC).
For traditional hieroglyphs, a table of 214 keys is usually given. For simplified ones, tables of 170-180 keys were compiled.
You can download a table of 214 hieroglyphs for yourself (the table consists of 2 parts).
Key table (continued)