Chinese operates differently in many ways from English and other phonetic languages. One of its unique features is that a person having no prior knowledge of Chinese cannot figure out what a Chinese character sounds like from its appearance. With some laboured memory work this initial obstacle may be overcome. Yet an even mightier challenge awaits the learner. Whatever does it mean? A simple yet helpful method of discovering what Chinese characters mean is through studying their radicals.

Chinese dictionaries of old locate characters via stroke count, and by looking under the relevant radical. All Chinese dictionaries have now converted to the Hanyu Pinyin system of reference. Although the function of radicals as dictionary classification is now obsolete, the value of learning about radicals still stands. From knowledge of them - there exist a total of 214 radicals - a better understanding of those strange composites known as Chinese characters is within reach.

Radicals, or 'root elements', are the foundation of all Chinese characters. They act as common denominators which the mind commits to memory when sizing up the character. Each Chinese character is listed under a particular radical.