📖 Meaning & Origin
The 手 radical is a pictogram of an open hand with five fingers. As the variant 扌 on the left side of kanji, it signals hand-related actions — holding, throwing, operating, or manipulating.
📚 Kanji by JLPT Level
💡 Teacher's Memory Tip
Five fingers of a hand. When you see 扌 on the left side of a kanji, think 'someone is doing something with their hands.' Almost all 扌 kanji are action verbs.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
The 手 radical means 'hand.' As the 扌 variant, it appears in dozens of action verbs — because hands are how we interact with the world.
N5 kanji: 手 (hand). As you advance to N4/N3, you'll encounter 持 (hold), 指 (finger/point), 打 (strike) and many more action verbs with 扌.
Imagine a hand reaching out. The 扌 variant looks like a simplified hand. Whenever you see it on the left, think: 'a hand is doing this action.'
Other N5 Radicals
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