Radical 14 of 20 · あし · bottom

貝かい: shell, money

Money and value: buying, paying, lending, prizes.

Heads 18 of the 1026 kanji taught in Japanese primary school.

字源 · WHY THIS SHAPE

From a picture to 貝

1. The picture
A cowrie shell, the opening on its underside showing. In ancient China these shells were used as money.
2. Money at the bottom
Most often it sits at the bottom (買, 貨, 費). On the left it gets narrower (財, 貯).

Origins follow the commonly taught explanations. Where scholars disagree, we say so.

Money and value: buying, paying, lending, prizes.

Almost all are about money. That makes it one of the most useful radicals to know.

Every primary-school kanji filed under 貝. Tap one to see its meaning.