Radical What does the radical 元 mean? The radical 元 means origin; it has 4 strokes. Quick factsMeaningoriginStrokes4Kanji using it5 元4 strokes5 kanjioriginStroke order · 4 strokesWatch it written1234Kanji using this radical院institution (hospital, academy)完complete冠crown莞rush used for weaving mats玩playing