This character was originally a picture of an ancestral tablet for worship, so when used as a component, it retains this meaning of altar.

alternative breakdown: 二+小 two + small, two small altar boys under the altar

derivative: 礻*Eastern altar

derivative: 丂 *broken bow

as a component: “弓字旁”

alternative breakdown: 一+夕 ceiling + evening, haunted house: carcass hanging from the ceiling in the evening

as a component: “舟字旁”

wood being sliced in half 爿片

alternative breakdown: 一+冂+丨+4丶 ceiling + hood + stick + 4 drops

component derivative: ⻗ *weather “雨字头“

as a component: “心字底”

derivatives: 忄*meme, ⺗ *valentine

top stroke is the side of the pen, then head, then back, then two piglets, then a splash of milk like the last two strokes of water; derivative: (㇇勿) *piglet

as a component “几字旁”

component derived from: 风fēng wind/windstorm

‍

as a component: “围字框” or "方匡" or “国字框”

body part when on the left, moon when on the right

as a component: “月字旁”

derivative: 夕 *evening

sideways digital 4

eight can be /divided and /divided again

a spider has eight animal legs

as a component: “八字旁“ or ”八字头”

Choose a "special bird" that is memorable to you to distinguish this component from 鸟 niǎo bird. A special bird to Americans is the turkey.

as a component: “隹字旁”

derivative: 叟 *skeleton

as a component: “小字旁”

component derivative: ⺌ “小字头”

modified version: 衤 ; derivatives: 𧘇 *scarf, *𧘇 *kerchief, 长 long

youngest in the moth family is still a cocoon; derivative: 纟*thread

Yakov wears a beret

alternatively: 彳+一+丁 queue + one/ceiling + nail, queue at the hardware business to buy the one nail available

When this character separates its left and right halves and there is another component in the middle, we'll call it "boulevard."

originally a bronze container

as a component: “皿字底”

ancient meaning of this character was "right hand", which it still retains as a component meaning

derivative: 乃 *fist

as a component: "又字旁"

as a component: “子字旁”

as a component: “干字旁”

In the movie Inside Out, emotions are stored in something like a computer.

alternative breakdown: 田+土 field + soil; anciently, a li was a measurement of distance one could use to measure a field

as a component: “里字旁”

a picture of a wedge

derived from: 扫 sǎo sweep

alternative breakdown: 丶+尸 drop + corpse/flag

as a component: “户字旁”

variant: 戶

derivative: 1 *bouquet

as a component: “草字头”

as a component: “马字旁”

the traditional character 貝 is a picture of a shell with legs

Shells were used for money in ancient China, so this component often takes on the meaning of money.

as a component: “贝字旁“

you can think of the first stroke as a fanny pack

as a component: “折文旁”

as a component: “宝盖头”

as a component: “儿座底”

as a component on the left side of the character; “左耳旁”

as a component: “厂字旁” or “厂字头” or “偏厂“

alternatively: 丷+干 horns + clothesline, devilish laundered money

derivative: 灬 cooking fire

as a component: “火字旁”

Jacob, renamed Israel, has 12 sons. It is his last son, Joseph, who will carry on God’s covenant, so he is favored. Joseph has a dream about sheaves of grain, where his brother’s sheaves all bow to his. He shares the dream with his brothers in hopes they will see the favoritism is God’s will. They don’t buy it.

as a component: “包字头”

originally an ancient wine vessel

as a component: “酉字旁”

derivatives: 氵*water, 冫*ice, 氺 *snowflake

as a component: “水字旁”

as a component: “鸟字旁”

modified component version: ⺮ “竹字头”

“三撇”

When you see this as a component, think of the category "insect with Chinese characteristics," i.e. anything creepy-crawly.

as a component: “虫字旁”

broad soldiers, feet at attention

as a component: “士字旁”

originally a picture of a Chinese chop

as a component: “单耳刀” or “单耳旁”

derivative: *经 *crane

as a component: “工字旁”

as a component: “土字底” or “土字旁” or “提土旁”

alternative breakdown: 中+一 middle + “base”, a purse in China

"not" has such an abstract meaning that we'll play on the English word and get the concrete image of a "knot"

originally a picture of meat

alternative breakdown: 冂+人+人 hood + person + person

a person hanging in a meat locker with a hood over their head

as a component: “耳字旁”

as a component: “秃宝盖”

derived from: 冠 guān crown

modified version:⺊; alternative breakdown: 丨+丶 stick + drop

as a component on the right side of the character; “右耳旁” or “右耳刀”

as a component: “私字旁”

as a component: “口字旁” or “口字底”

as a component: “巾字旁”

top hat covering the roots inside the acorn seed; alternative breakdown: 亠+厶+人 top hat + monument + person

picture of breasts

alternative breakdown: 冫+十 ice + ten, ten scoops of ice

“登字头”

notice 丷 horns on top

as a component: “羊字旁“

derivative: ⺶ *wool

as a component: “女字旁”

“同字匡”

as a component: “尸字头”

alternative breakdowns: 冈gāng+乂 ridge + sheaf/X OR 冂+乂+乂 hood + sheaves

component modified version: 罒 “四字头”

as a component: “十字旁” or “十字头”

alternative breakdown: 囗+土 enclose + soil

derivatives: 由 *sprout, 申 *beet, 甲 *radish

as a component: “田字旁”

alternative breakdown: 口+口 mouth + mouth

as a component: “日字旁”

alternative breakdown: ⺌+儿 small + human legs, small human legs run in to wake you like a ray of sunshine

as a component: “羽字旁”

as a component: “立字旁”