water, water radical (no. 85)
氵 is the water radical, a compact three-stroke form used on the left side of characters to indicate a connection to water or liquid.
氵 is a simplified cursive form of 水 (water) used as a left-side radical. It retains the flowing water imagery in a compact shape.
The three short strokes look like drops of water falling or flowing together: 氵 is the water radical.
For さんずい, remember that 三 (さん) means three, and 水 (すい) means water. The three water drops make さんずい.
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