Kangxi Radical Wrap

⼓ marks the “wrap” radical used to index Han characters.

A radical is a component used to group or find characters in a dictionary. ⼓ is the indexing sign; it is not normally written as a word.

For its history, the Shuowen Jiezi, an early Chinese character dictionary, records 勹 around 100 CE as a section and explains it as a bent form enclosing something. The 1615 Zihui reduced an older radical inventory to 214 entries; the 1716 Kangxi Dictionary established the set behind this radical’s name. Its role shifted from explaining a character to helping locate one.

Why does ⼓ resemble 勹?

They are related forms with different character roles.

Unicode pairs ⼓ with 勹 as its corresponding ordinary Han form. ⼓ belongs to the dedicated radical block and labels a radical; 勹 is the Han character or component. Their similar outlines can still lead to the wrong character in text.

勹 is also the older form behind 包, an ordinary Chinese character for wrapping or containing. Use ⼓ to label the dictionary radical; use 勹 or 包 when that is the character you intend.

How do I type ⼓?

Choose the radical entry and check the character returned.

Search a Unicode-aware character picker for “Kangxi Radical Wrap.” If it offers 勹, select that only when you mean the ordinary Han character; ⼓ is the separate radical sign.

⼓ is a text character. A character picker that supports Unicode is the practical route; confirm that its result is ⼓ rather than the similar-looking 勹.