Stroke order is not decoration — it determines how the character looks handwritten and how dictionaries index it.
The radical is the part a paper dictionary files a kanji under, and it usually hints at meaning. 氵 is filed under 水 (water) — radical number 85 of the 214 in the Kangxi system.
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氵 means Water, Water Radical (no. 85).
氵 is read kun'yomi (native Japanese) さんずい.
氵 is written with 3 strokes. The animated diagram on this page shows the correct order.
The radical of 氵 is 水 (water), radical number 85 of the 214 Kangxi radicals. The radical is the component a dictionary files the character under, and it usually points at the character's meaning.
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