Most kanji are made up of two or more parts.
The main part within a character is called the radical. This gives the main idea of the character's nature.
The lesser parts add either semantic (meaning) and/or phonetic (sound) information.
Example:
土（つち）meaning earth/ground, is a common radical placed either at the base or to the left of a character (slightly squashed looking), shows that the kanji character is associated with the earth or ground in some way.
Examples:
城 （しろ）means castle - very earthy.
場 （じょ／ば）means place - originally and open place where the sun 日 shines down.
Radical concept, eh? (groan...)
The main part within a character is called the radical. This gives the main idea of the character's nature.
The lesser parts add either semantic (meaning) and/or phonetic (sound) information.
Example:
土（つち）meaning earth/ground, is a common radical placed either at the base or to the left of a character (slightly squashed looking), shows that the kanji character is associated with the earth or ground in some way.
Examples:
城 （しろ）means castle - very earthy.
場 （じょ／ば）means place - originally and open place where the sun 日 shines down.
Radical concept, eh? (groan...)
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