87. The "Claw" Radical: 爪, 爫, the Top of 受, and the Left Side of 爬

Essay 2071 on 爪 (nail, claw; "claw" radical) covers this prevalent shape, which serves as the on-duty radical in 爵 (1344: rank of nobility) and as a component in 菜 (483: vegetable), to name just two examples of places you wouldn't expect to see claws! As these two examples show, it can be hard to recognize the variant forms of this radical unless you've learned what they are.