small shell; small shellfish
Refers to small shells or small shellfish in general. Not a specific species.
See also: 貝偏
The children picked up small shells on the beach.
kanji 'shell' radical at left
Refers to the kanji radical 貝 (かいへん) when it appears on the left side of a character. Used in contexts discussing kanji components.
The left side of the character '財' is the 'shell' radical.
Compound of 小 (small) and 貝 (shell). The radical sense comes from the shape of the kanji component.