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

How Cangjie character decomposition works.

See how Chinese character shapes become Cangjie codes. Study ordered root examples, learn where simple rules stop, and check your understanding.

Look for structure

A character has parts.
A part has a code.

Begin with characters whose parts are easy to see. Look for a left and right side, an upper and lower section, or an enclosure. Then identify the roots or related forms in each part.

The examples below show the sequence of code parts. The large glyph is a reference, not a handwriting or stroke-order animation.

好

女V+子ND

V + ND = VND

One side can contribute more than one letter.

Eight useful examples

Follow the parts into the code

These simple codes fit without truncation. More complex shapes need additional rules.

明

Left to right

AB

日A月B

Both parts match basic roots. Keep the two shapes intact.

林

Repeated roots

DD

木D木D

The same root appears twice. Enter both letters.

炎

Top to bottom

FF

火F火F

Read the upper 火 before the lower 火.

好

A part can need two codes

VND

女V子ND

女 contributes V. 子 has the established code ND, giving VND.

沐

Recognize a related form

ED

氵E木D

氵 is the side form of the water component and uses E.

休

A narrow side form

OD

亻O木D

亻 uses the person root O; 木 contributes D.

苗

A component above another

TW

艹T田W

The grass component uses T and the field below uses W.

回

Enclosure before contents

WR

囗W口R

For this character, the outer box uses W and the inner mouth uses R.

Four habits for choosing roots

Recognize the whole root first.木 is D. Do not turn every line inside it into a separate code.
Learn the related forms.氵 belongs to 水 E, 亻 to 人 O and 艹 to 廿 T.
Read the character's arrangement.Simple combinations commonly proceed left to right, top to bottom, or from an enclosure to its contents.
Check established exceptions.Guessing from appearance alone is not always enough. Record unfamiliar codes with their characters.

Why complex codes omit parts

Ordinary full Cangjie character codes use up to five letters. They do not necessarily list every visible component. How you divide the character affects which positions you keep.

In the usual beginner rules, an undivided sequence that is too long keeps its first three and final code. A divided character's leading part can keep its first and last codes; the remaining part can keep its first two and final codes. Further divisions and designated exceptions need more detailed treatment.

Do not apply “take five visible pieces” to every character. Establish its structure first, and use the reference code when the division is unclear. Numbered editions can differ.

Check what you noticed

Shape questions, not sound questions

1Which code matches 明: 日 on the left and 月 on the right?

BA AB AA

2Why does 沐 begin with E?

E shows its pronunciation. Every three-stroke shape uses E. 氵 belongs to the water root 水.

3What does X mean in a code such as 身 HXH?

A designated difficult form. Any unknown part. The last letter of every code.

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

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