Recognize a shape. Find a root. Type a character.

Cangjie roots and keyboard chart.

Explore the 24 basic Cangjie roots and their letter keys, with a separate guide to X. Search examples and print a compact study chart.

Learn the 24 basic roots plus the special X key. The large character is the root name; the letter is its keyboard key. Each card adds a checked character example. Root names describe families of shapes, so an example may contain a related form rather than an exact copy of the root.

Cangjie roots & keys

24 basic roots + special X · i2Bopomo

Nature & elements

A–G · 7 roots

Stroke-related shapes

H–N · 7 roots

Human forms

O–R · 4 roots

Other shapes

S–W, Y · 6 roots

The special X key

1 special code

These are root names and checked example codes, not a complete list of related shapes. X is a special difficult-form code, not a wildcard. Z is not a basic root. Examples match this site's mixed dictionary; editions and glyph forms can differ. i2Bopomo · Cangjie chart

Use the chart in small groups

Read the root, find its key, then inspect the example. Open a card to see how that key relates to the character. Hide the keys for a recall check, or print the current selection as a study sheet.

The groups help you remember the key sequence. They are not a complete catalogue of every shape that each root can represent.

See how the parts fit together →

What about X and Z?

X 難 handles designated difficult forms. It belongs in particular codes, such as 身 HXH; it is not a substitute for a part you have not learned.

Z is not one of the 24 roots. Some other input systems assign it a special function. Z is not a wildcard or punctuation shortcut on this keyboard. These lessons focus on shape codes; some legacy dictionary lookups may also use other letter combinations.

Reference checks: Hong Kong Education Bureau · input methods, Chu Bong-Foo's Cangjie handbook and Unicode · Cangjie codes. Lessons and diagrams are original i2Bopomo material; example codes are checked against this site's dictionary.

Keep going

Learn Cangjie

Character decompositionSee how Chinese character shapes become Cangjie codes. Study ordered root examples, learn where simple rules stop, and check your understanding. Cangjie typing lessonType your first Chinese characters using Cangjie. Follow a working code example, choose a candidate, and learn the shortcuts in the i2Bopomo keyboard. Cangjie practiceRecall full Cangjie codes for 24 beginner characters. Start with single roots, use key hints, check your answers, and review the shapes you have learned.