Comments on: Why you should think of characters in terms of functional components https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/ A better way of learning Mandarin Mon, 06 Oct 2025 17:51:20 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: How to not teach Chinese characters to beginners: A 12-step approach | Hacking Chinese https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-141406 Mon, 06 Oct 2025 17:51:20 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-141406 […] sense for foreigners learning the language in modern times. In particular, don’t mention functional components, which are key to understanding characters in […]

]]> By: Chinese characters with the same components in different places | Hacking Chinese https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-132834 Thu, 15 May 2025 19:40:36 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-132834 […] works as a whole makes learning individual characters much easier. For example, understanding how functional components work, especially phonetic components, is immensely helpful. If this is the first you hear about this, I […]

]]> By: Review: The Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-117102 Wed, 07 Feb 2024 15:51:44 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-117102 […] contains detailed analyses of Chinese characters, including the most basic information about functional components, explaining why each character looks the way it does and what functions the components […]

]]> By: How to learn Chinese characters: My best advice | Hacking Chinese https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-112982 Mon, 23 Oct 2023 12:21:06 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-112982 […] Think of Chinese characters in terms of functional components – Most characters are composed of smaller components that are there for a reason (even if that reason is sometimes lost in the mists of time). By paying attention to the function of each component, you can understand how the character works. […]

]]> By: Olle Linge https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-48400 Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:25:56 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-48400 In reply to Girish BP.

Usually, the sound-bearing component is on the right, but not always. The Outlier dictionary shows this, but there’s also basic information about this in dictionaries like Zdic.net.

]]> By: Girish BP https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-48390 Sun, 07 Jul 2019 05:54:06 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-48390 You told that Chinese components express both meaning and pronunciation.
My doubt is how to find which part of the character gives the meaning and pronunciation.
Please reply

]]> By: MH https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-28485 Wed, 08 Nov 2017 09:09:08 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-28485 Hello Olle,

getting inspiration from your pages once again.
Just wanted to let you know the link for Shuōwén Jiězì [說文解字] does not lead to the intended page anymore. If it can be changed, please do so.

All the best

MH

]]> By: Gauthier https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-10211 Mon, 25 Jul 2016 20:59:24 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-10211 This should be extremely simplified for beginners like me, but I think that I get the idea behind it. Thanks. Now when I see a radical, I will remember that it can have different functions (meaning function by visual clues most of the time, or meaning clues + sound function).

]]> By: Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters > Skritter Blog https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-think-of-characters-in-terms-of-functional-components/#comment-9585 Fri, 08 Jul 2016 20:40:19 +0000 http://www.hackingchinese.com/?p=5994#comment-9585 […] If you’re still not sure what functional components are or why they are important, I suggest you read this article written by John Renfroe from the Outlier team: Why you should think of characters in terms of functional components. […]

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