Chinese Character Structures 结构
Most Chinese characters are built from smaller parts, and the parts sit in one of a dozen or so arrangements. 好 has 女 on the left and 子 on the right, which makes it 左右结构 (zuǒyòu jiégòu), a left-and-right structure. 国 has 囗 all the way round 玉, and is 全包围结构 (quán bāowéi jiégòu), fully enclosed.
Seeing which arrangement a character uses tells you where to look for its parts, and the parts are what make a new character memorable. Pick an arrangement below to see every character written that way, filed by radical.
独体字 a single component
左右结构 left and right
上下结构 above and below
左中右结构 left, middle and right
上中下结构 above, middle and below
全包围结构 fully enclosed
上三包围结构 enclosed from above
下三包围结构 enclosed from below
左三包围结构 enclosed from the left
左上包围结构 enclosed from the upper left
右上包围结构 enclosed from the upper right
左下包围结构 enclosed from the lower left
镶嵌结构 overlaid
Characters can also be looked up by their radical 部首.