Radical 16 of 20 · へん · left

阝こざとへん: hill

Hills and slopes: going up and down, stairs, the sunny side, dry land.

Heads 15 of the 1026 kanji taught in Japanese primary school.

字源 · WHY THIS SHAPE

From a picture to 阝

1. The picture
A hill of earth with steps or terraces cut into its side.
2. Squeezed to the left
On the left, the hill shrinks to 阝. Careful: the same shape on the right is a different radical, “town” (都, 部).

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

Hills and slopes: going up and down, stairs, the sunny side, dry land.

Some have moved far from hills.

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