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The screenshot below is from Kotoba for iPhone.

![tsumetai](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yuygM.png)

It shows the character for "cool", 冷 as used in the word 冷たい. However, the
character in the stroke order diagram is slightly different to the main one
displayed top-left!

Why is this? Which one is correct? Or are both correct?

I suspect the stroke order diagram actually comes from a Chinese font, rather
than a Japanese font. I'd like to confirm this.

Thanks to Lukman for the following screenshot:

![different radicals](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AZGGs.png)
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question
kanji handwriting
Why are there two versions of the kanji for 冷?
The screenshots below are from some font website.

![s1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/suew1.png)
![s2](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2d1Jx.png)
![s3](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XvI3C.png)
![s4](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uKAWL.png)
![s5](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iVSF2.png)
![s6](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tU2xe.png)

They show the character "S", as used in the word "Script". However, the
character in the pictures are entirely different to one another! I have seen
even more variations!

Why is this? Which one is correct? Or are they all correct?
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It’s just differences in font/handwriting. But as a side note, I've always
written the version in the top-right of your screenshot, that's just how I was
taught for Chinese.

See also nciku's [Chinese dictionary
entry](http://www.nciku.com/search/zh/detail/%E5%86%B7/1309235) for the
character.
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Don't panic. They're variant forms of the same character. You will encounter
others. Chinese characters are very old, and have evolved in a variety of
ways, including scriveners' errors, simplification, vulgarization, invention,
etc., etc., etc. Fortunately, unless you're reading pre-war texts, most
variations in use now are pretty easy to remember.
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answer
It's no big deal, just that the most common standard handwritten form of the
character is different from the most common printed form of the character.
This doesn't even rise to the level of "variant character" in the strictest
sense (like 悪 vs 惡). The two are the _same character_ , just like a joined-up
printed さ is the same as a disjoint handwritten one, or a cursive [a] is the
same as a printed one in English.

The Chinese/Japanese thing is a red herring: here are
[two](http://kakijun.main.jp/page/0728200.html)
[more](http://ja.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%86%B7) sources clearly aimed at
Japanese people showing this handwritten form. It _is_ true that the printed
Chinese form looks more like the diagram, but this is just because the
"official" printed Chinese form was revised to be more in line with the pre-
existing standard written form, shared by both Japanese and Chinese.

If you won't take my word for the above, check out [the jōyō kanji
guidelines](http://www.bunka.go.jp/kokugo_nihongo/sisaku/joho/joho/kijun/naikaku/pdf/joyokanjihyo_20101130.pdf)
[PDF] from the Ministry of Education. Scroll down to the section headed
"明朝体と筆写の楷書との関係について" and you will see many similar cases of difference between
standard printed and written forms, along with the Ministry formally declaring
that these differences do _not_ result in "different characters", or that the
written form is "wrong". ("... 筆写の楷書における書き方の習慣を改めようとするものではない。 ...
印刷文字と手書き文字におけるそれぞれの習慣の相違に基づく表現の差と見るべきものである。")

Note that the character 令 is actually one of the examples in their
"筆写の楷書では，いろいろな書き方があるもの" section, and the form with a final vertical is
recognized as a possible "correct" handwritten version, so if it makes you
feel more comfortable, go for it! Just don't be ragging on people who write it
diagonally, because that's cool too.
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answer
It's nothing to worry about, I would go as far to say that it's not even a
different "radical". (How can it be? It's the same Kanji.) Just like in
English, things get, shall we say, "corrupted" in hand writing. Nothing is
ever as neat and pretty as the pixels on a finely crafted character.

Fortunately, this is an easier one to remember. Ignore my awful mouse
handwriting.

![Bend that baby, 60 degrees, roughly.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vWtLK.png)

I've seen entire sections reduced to squiggles. Look at this for example:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ASImp.jpg)

In summation, keep it in mind and move on to the next Kanji. You're going to
find a lot these types of "differences" along the way. Enjoy!
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answer
「令」( _command; order_ ) contains two components:

  * 「亼」, an upside-down「口」( _mouth_ ), with handwritten shape sometimes as「亽」and sometimes the same as the Traditional print shape「亼」(cf.「食」・「今」・「合」・「倉」);
  * 「卩」, picture of a _kneeling person_. Only in the character「令」(and derivatives), this component is uniquely handwritten as「龴」and uniquely printed as「ㄗ」.

# `[商](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty)  
[甲](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMFtE.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tMFtE.png)  
[甲](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference)597  
[合集32870](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&bh=32870&jgwfl=)``[春秋](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period)  
[金](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQZde.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rQZde.png)  
秦公鐘  
[集成262](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=262&jgwfl=)``[秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty)  
[簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gguo9.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gguo9.png)  
[秦律](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference)32  
[睡虎地竹簡](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts)`

As mentioned elsewhere,

  * The shape「{{zh-CN:令}}」is the universal (Chinese, Japanese, and elsewhere) handwritten shape, and doubles as the Mainland Chinese printed shape, which merged the handwritten form into the printed form;
  * The shape「令」is the Traditional printed shape, which Japanese has kept unchaged.

Many differences in the printed shapes of some characters are due to the
[different regions importing different sets of handwriting features into the
print shape](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/792/characters-which-
have-several-different-shapes/31942#31942). For example, the Republic of China
(Taiwan) standardised the character as somewhat of a hybrid:「{{zh-TW:令}}」,
with handwritten form「龴」and printed form「亼」.

* * *

Note that「龴」is not actually a meaningful component. It may be useful as a
graphical element to describe characters specifically for an [ideographic
description
sequence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideographic_Description_Characters_\(Unicode_block\))
decomposition, but「龴」is not originally a character or common mark, and it is
only coincidence that some modern shapes of characters happen to contain this.
For instance:

  * In「予」,「龴」was originally the top component of「呂」.「予」([Baxter-Sagart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructions_of_Old_Chinese#Baxter%E2%80%93Sagart_\(2014\)): **/*laʔ/** ) is composed of phonetic「呂」(Baxter-Sagart: **/*[r]aʔ/** ) and a distinguishing mark「亅」, added to differentiate「予」from「呂」.

#
`[戰國](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period)・[燕](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_\(state\))  
金  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xBAVR.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xBAVR.png)  
襄安君鈚  
[集成9606](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=9606&jgwfl=)``[西{{ko:漢}}](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Western_Han)  
[篆](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_script)・[隸](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8jUxs.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8jUxs.png)  
[老子](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching)甲・106  
[馬王堆帛書](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawangdui_Silk_Texts)``西{{ko:漢}}  
隸  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYsHY.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eYsHY.png)  
老子乙・前9  
馬王堆帛書``西{{ko:漢}}  
隸  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/B6Ohl.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/B6Ohl.png)  
居延簡甲826  
``現代  
[楷](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rTNYW.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rTNYW.png)  
  
`

  * In「矛」( _pike_ ),「龴」was originally the shape of the blade.

# `[西周](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou)  
金  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/42e0e.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/42e0e.png)  
⿹戈冬簋  
[集成4322](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4322&jgwfl=)``戰國・[秦](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_\(state\))  
[大篆](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_seal_script)  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRKaL.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRKaL.png)  
廿五年上郡  
``[東{{ko:漢}}](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han)  
簡・隸  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v0yeD.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v0yeD.png)  
屯戍16.5  
流沙墜簡``現代  
楷  
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aavJO.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aavJO.png)  
  
`

* * *

**References:**

  * 季旭昇《說文新證》
  * 黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》
  * [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
  * [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
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