Mastering Chinese Characters Through Radicals – Illustrating the Walking Radical in Chinese Characters

The radical 辶 is commonly associated with “walking” (走 – zǒu) in Chinese. There are over 380 characters listed under this radical in the Kangxi Dictionary, most of which are related to transportation or movement. In this post, we’ll explore some words with the walk radical.

If you’ve been following my series, you’re already familiar with some basic characters: 大, 井, 不, 米, 白. Keep these in mind and see what happens when the left “walk” radical (辶) is added. In some cases, the meaning or pronunciation is related to the original character:

1. 达 (dá)

Big 大 (dà) + 辶 = 达 (dá)

Suggests “to go to something big,” meaning “to reach”

e.g.

到达 (dào dá) – arrive, reach

2. 进 (jìn)

A well 井 (jǐng) + 辶 = 进 (jìn)

Suggests “to go into something secluded,” meaning “to enter”

e.g. 

请进 (qǐng jìn) – please come in

3. 迷 (mí)

Rice 米 (mǐ) + 辶 = 迷 (mí)

Same sound! 迷 means “to bewilder,” “lost,” or “confused”

e.g. 

迷路 (mí lù) – get lost, lose one`s way

However, the link between the words and phonetics is not always evident:

4. 还 (hái) and 迫 (pò)

Not, 不 (bù) + 辶 = 还, meaning “still” or “yet”

White,白 (bái) + 辶 = 迫, meaning “to approach”

Here are some more words with the left walk radical:

5. 运 (yùn) and 送 (sòng)

运 (yùn) – to transport things from one place to another

送 (sòng) – to send

e.g. 

运送  (yùn sòng)- transport, convey

6. 迎 (yíng)

迎 (yíng) – to meet, to welcome

e.g. 

迎接 (yíng jiē) – reception, meet, welcome

These are some common characters with the 辶 radical in Chinese. I hope this makes it easier to remember them! Did I miss any important points? Or do you know more about characters with the 辶 radical? Tell us in the comments!

For more information on Chinese characters and radicals, explore these helpful resources:

• List of Chinese Characters – by Radicals
• A Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Characters