How to Write 肾 (shèn) — Meaning “Kidney”

Imagine the left radical ⺼ looks like two kidney beans lying sideways, and the right part 㐆 resembles a person bending over to hold them. This helps you recall that 肾 means kidney, an organ shaped like a bean.

Write the left radical ⺼ first, which is the same as writing 月 (four strokes: left-falling, horizontal hook, two horizontals). Then add the right part 㐆 with two horizontals on top and a vertical hook below. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide—keep it narrow to give balance.

㐆 is a rare character meaning 'to follow' and has no left radical, while 肾 always has the meat radical on the left. 肝 (liver) also has the meat radical but its right side is 干 (a simple stem), whereas 肾’s right side 㐆 has two horizontal strokes and a hook. Visually, 肾 looks more complex on the right.

It appears in medical terms like 肾脏 (kidneys), 肾炎 (nephritis), and in Traditional Chinese Medicine phrases such as 补肾 (to tonify the kidneys). Because kidneys are linked to vitality in Chinese culture, you may see 肾 on health product labels or in discussions about wellness, though it is not common in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 肾 include: 肾脏 (shèn zàng) — Kidney; 补肾 (bǔ shèn) — To tonify the kidneys; 肾炎 (shèn yán) — Nephritis.