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I noticed the kangxi radicals all have two ways that people refer to them. For example: 氵 is sometimes called shuǐ, sometimes called 三点水. 饣 is sometimes called shí or 食字旁.

What are the correct names for the radicals as radicals?

there's lots of these on Wikibooks and in the other way at archchinese.com.

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    三点水 or 水字旁 both indicates radical names. 三点 helps you visualize the radical. 字旁 means the radical's position is at the side. 字头 means it is at the top.
    – 杨以轩
    Commented Jan 12, 2014 at 3:07

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In my opinion, 三点水 and shui3 are all correct names for 氵, so for 饣.

Actually, 氵is also 水, just in another face. You can know this by comparing Chinese Seal Character(小篆) 河:http://www.zdic.net/z/1c/zy/6CB3.htm 水:http://www.zdic.net/z/1c/zy/6C34.htm

三点水 is more formal, shui3 is most used in computer world.

Hope my explanation can help you understand this further.

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  • 1. 水 isn't used only in the computer world. instead, it's rarely used. 2. 水/水部 is much more formal than 三点水. look at 《说文解字》 河 从水可聲.
    – Mike Manilone
    Commented Jan 13, 2014 at 4:38
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They are called 部首. And, in antique dictionaries like 康熙字典, they are referred to as 部. It is very formal and scholarly to address the whole bunch of characters containing 氵 or 水(at the bottom) or other parts showing links to 水 as 水部. The logic here is ''the original character of the radical' + 部', following the rules of classical Chinese.

However, in everyday life, when we describe how to write an unfamiliar character or admiring calligraphy, we cannot address both 氵 and 水 as 水, because they are too vague for radicals in different positions. Popular names are called for, and here I enclose a list of popular name for radicals found on wikipedia.

Popular Names for Radicals(Chinese)

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As a native Chinese speaker, My teacher told me that 氵 called 三点水 and 饣 called 食字旁.

Actually, we never call 氵 as 水. It's a little strange. The link wikibooks you gave is exactly the right answer to your question.

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  • 水 is never called in daily life. However, 水 is much more formal than 三点水.
    – Mike Manilone
    Commented Jan 13, 2014 at 4:19
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    @MikeManilone when we call radicals we never call it 水.
    – einverne
    Commented Jan 13, 2014 at 4:23
  • I call it 水部 or X字从水 :-)
    – Mike Manilone
    Commented Jan 23, 2014 at 15:00
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The wiki link is correct. 氵is 三点水 and 饣is 食字旁. I don't think [citation needed] 氵is a character with a real meaning. Didn't find it in the Kangxi Dictionary. I only use its pinyin "shui3" when I want to type it with a pinyin input method.

P.S. Almost all characters with the radical 氵is about water(河 river, 海 sea, 洋 ocean), and water(水) is pronounced shui3. And 饣-shi2-食 is about food/diet.

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