<p>部首 is typically (but not in all cases) used to illustrate a character's fundamental feature. <br>
<code>詈</code> means to curse, so it is related with <code>言</code>(speak, remark, words etc.).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-29T00:55:15.457Z
Thanks! It makes perfect sense. When I look the character up in a dictionary, I need to know the radical before knowing the meaning of the character.
Zuriel
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2021-05-29T01:28:04.610Z
@Zuriel I would strongly recommend using handwriting recognition tools attached to a digital dictionary, like Pleco, and not paper dictionaries which rely on the radical system.
dROOOze
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2021-05-29T04:29:53.663Z
Cool! Please select my reply as the answer :)
Shrinetown
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2021-05-30T04:24:25.933Z
Just as 咒, (Zhòu), (religious incantations / "curse"), where both 口 & 几 are radicals, has the "mouth" radical, in fact two "mouths", in case one gets tired I suppose or perhaps two mouths are louder than one? :) "几", ( jǐ ), looks like and stands for a small table.
Wayne Cheah
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2021-05-28T22:45:11.023Z
2021-05-28T22:51:19.607Z
2021-05-28T22:51:19.607Z
Shrinetown
<p>Both &quot;言&quot; and &quot;四&quot; are radicals (部首). For &quot;<a href="http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?ccd=why35m&amp;o=e0&amp;sec1=1&amp;op=sid=%22W00000003487%22.&amp;v=-2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">詈</a>&quot;, the radical is 言, not 四. Why? In general, when there is more than one part which can be a radical, which one will be the radical for the character?</p>

<radicals>
Why is the 部首 of 詈 "言" instead of "四"？
# Why is the 部首 of 詈 "言" instead of "四"？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-05-28)

Both "言" and "四" are radicals (部首). For "[詈](http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?ccd=why35m&o=e0&sec1=1&op=sid=%22W00000003487%22.&v=-2)", the radical is 言, not 四. Why? In general, when there is more than one part which can be a radical, which one will be the radical for the character?

**Tags:** radicals


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-05-28. Score: 1

部首 is typically (but not in all cases) used to illustrate a character's fundamental feature.   
`詈` means to curse, so it is related with `言`(speak, remark, words etc.).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks! It makes perfect sense. When I look the character up in a dictionary, I need to know the radical before knowing the meaning of the character.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 I would strongly recommend using handwriting recognition tools attached to a digital dictionary, like Pleco, and not paper dictionaries which rely on the radical system.  
> **username_1**: Cool! Please select my reply as the answer :)  
> **username_3**: Just as 咒, (Zhòu), (religious incantations / "curse"), where both 口 & 几 are radicals, has the "mouth" radical, in fact two "mouths", in case one gets tired I suppose or perhaps two mouths are louder than one? :) "几", ( jǐ ), looks like and stands for a small table.  

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