I’m over thinking this way too much and have completely confused myself. Because I’m being told that entire characters are radicals.
For instance, 言. It has 亠 this is a radical. It has 二 (unless its two 一. if I knew for sure I wouldn’t have to ask this question would I) . It has 口. These are three (four?) radicals. Sure enough though, [jisho says](https://jisho.org/search/%E8%A8%80%20%23kanji) its just 1 radical.
Or say 狩. It has 犭,宀, 寸. Is that not 3 radicals? Then why does wanikani [tell me it has 2](https://www.wanikani.com/kanji/%E7%8B%A9)? Why does jisho say [it only has 1](https://jisho.org/search/%E7%8B%A9%20%23kanji)?
So why am I reading radicals don’t make up radicals? I’m looking at 3 or 4 very basic components here. I thought radicals WERE the basic components? Are the basic components (say the [lid](https://www.wanikani.com/radicals/lid) or something) the radicals… or not?
I need to completely learn this from scratch I think. I’ve completely confused myself.
EDIT: Am I just confusing “components” as being radicals? Radicals are the smallest “with meaning”?
by jdt79