I am learning radicals among other lists. IF I am getting it right (probably not) - I am requested to draw a character for a supplied English translation.

So, for example it is written: *Bamboo* - bamboo (Kangxi radical 118)

But how do I know if I am requested to write ⺮ or 竹?

Or when I am requested to write *clothes* then is it 衣 or 衤? Same about some other radicals.

Thank you in advance!

Change the definition yourself, to tell you which one it wants!

But why should I? And how do I know the name for which character? Aren't there any common (but different names) that I can simply learn?

The radicals have several variants, and the clues in the definitions which tell you which variant it's for are kind of cryptic:

刀 dāo: knife; blade (Kangxi radical 18)
⺈ dāo: knife; blade (Kangxi radical 18, var. 1
刂 dāo: knife; blade (Kangxi radical 18, var. 2; 2 strokes)

:(

I like Byzanti's suggestion. Come up with something you find intelligible...

James

Ye, same about *knife*. But hey, man - why don't simply number the variants together with the radical number? There would be still a differentiation, right?

I'm not sure I understand the question. The definitions of all the variants should theoretically allow you to distinguish them.

竹 zhú: bamboo (Kangxi radical 118)
⺮ zhú: bamboo (Kangxi radical 118, variant)

衣 yī: clothing (Kangxi radical 145)
衤 yī: clothing (Kangxi radical 145, standing variant)

James

I mean why should I modify the definitions? In the list you are talking about - are those "variants" already incorporated in characters' definitions?

Yes. You can see the radicals list here: http://www.skritter.com/vocab/list?list=agVza3JpdHIYCxINVm9jYWJMaXN0SW5mbyIFbGlzdDcM

Ahem, pretty strange but I think I haven't seen the "variant", only "*Bamboo* - bamboo (Kangxi radical 118)" - just as I've wrote above.