Most Chinese dictionaries sort by the complexity of the character, that is, by the number of strokes in the character. The unique feature of this dictionary is its arrangement: first by the English word of the character's root or "radical", and then by the number of strokes. This simple rearrangement dramatically narrows your field of search for any given character. This dictionary teaches you how to identify the radical and also provides you with its etymology to help you memorize it.