非 · fēi

not; wrong

Radical pronunciation

Radical summary

#175

Kangxi

8

Strokes

#129

Frequency

Visual hint

Wings spreading open then crossed out diagonally: symmetric but cut across — not/wrong.

Suggests negation, wrongness, being incorrect, or something that's not right.

varies

Trace the radical, simplified, traditional, and variant forms when available.

非

2 examples

非

fēi

not; wrong; to blame

HSK 3

悲

bēi

sad; sorrowful

HSK 4

Not/wrong radical. Found in 非 (not/wrong), 罪 (crime), 悲 (sad/sorrowful).

Symmetric wings slashed through diagonally: beautiful yet negated — the image of what is not accepted.

北: 非 has symmetric sides with a negating slash; 北 is two people back-to-back — similar looking but different meaning.

What radical is this: 非?