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甲乙丙 - the heavenly or celestial stems

The ten Celestial Stems are a counting system first used over 3000 years ago, when they were used for marking weeks of ten days each. The symbols were then used in various other contexts for counting or reference. Today, the Celestial Stems are still used for counting - 甲乙丙 (こうおつへい) corresponds roughly with the English 'ABC' - and they are combined with the Earthly Branches (Chinese zodiac) in Taoism.
For more information on the Celestial Stems, see the Wikipedia entry.
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By default the component builder shows the most common components (themselves joyo kanji, or used in at least 3 other joyo kanji). Select an alternative set of components below.



Full details of all components and their English names can be found here.
Help with the component builder
For detailed instructions, see the Component builder how to guide.
To find any kanji, first try to identify the components it is made up of.
For any components you recognize, if you know the English meaning or name, start typing it in the text area. Full details of all components and their English names can be found here.
Alternatively, count the strokes of the component, and scan the list to find it visually.
Example
To find the kanji 漢:
  • Notice that it is made of several components: 氵 艹 口 夫.
  • 氵 艹 口 all have three strokes, so you could look in the list in the 3 stroke section. 夫 has four strokes.
  • Alternatively, you could start typing 'water' (氵), 'grass' (艹), 'mouth' (口) or 'husband' (夫) in the search area, and the components will be highlighted in yellow.
  • Keep adding components until you can see your kanji in the list of matches that appears near the top.