Chinese for Europeans
学生Chinese for you The sign

How characters are written

How characters are written?

In the Latin script, words consist of letters. In the Chinese script, characters consist of strokes. Here are the most common strokes:

  • dian [dot]: 主, 江, 热
  • shu [vertical stroke]: 山, 车,信
  • heng [horizontal stroke]: 一, 三, 正
  • gou [hook]: 礼, 小, 手
  • ti [diagonal stroke, rises from left to right]: 汉, 拉, 打
  • na [horizontal stroke falling from left to right]: 金, 文, 丈
  • pie [diagonal stroke falling from right to left]: 千, 钩, 八
  • zhe [bent stroke]: 口, 区, 参

Strokes are usually written in certain order which is the most convenient for that character. A lot of online dictionaries show you the correct order.

Want to know more?

There are several rules for stroke order which apply in most cases:

  • first the upper part, then the lower part: 三, 品, 雷
  • first the left hand side, then the right hand side: 那, 行, 川
  • first horizontal stroke, then vertical stroke: 十, 林, 本
  • if the horizontal line is the base of the character, it is written as the last one: 土,王
  • if the vertical line crosses two or more strokes, it is written as the last one: 羊, 干
  • if one character contains both pie and na strokes, pie is the first one to write: 入, 丈
  • first a horizontal line, then a diagonal line: 厂, 在
  • first the outside part of the character, than the inside part: 句, 用
  • first the frame of the character, then the middle part, last is the closing of the frame: 国, 日
  • in symmetric characters, first comes the middle part, then the elements on the sides: 小, 业

Basically, all characters should fit into a small square. That’s why when learning to write Chinese characters, students often use worksheets with lots of squares.

Want to know more?

In Chinese simple signs are placed in different positions to create a composed sign. The most popular one is the:

a) left-right

as in 很, 跟, 饿, 时, 听   

(a structure common to around 64% of Chinese language)

b) up-down 

as in: 哥, 爸, 志, 爷, 票

(a structure common to around 23% of Chinese characters)

c) other positions of elements:

For example: 做, 娜

For example: 寄, 爱

For example: 架, 华

For example:筷, 最

For example: 歌, 数

For example: 语, 聪

Evaluate and comment this lesson

average evaluation for this lesson: 7.5

Latest comments

  • Maksymilian Rakoczy
    10.10.2020 20:59
    TRUDNE
  • Max Imperiali
    04.09.2020 15:25
    ok2
  • Massimo Imperiali
    14.05.2020 17:55
    ok
  • Massimo Imperiali
    14.05.2020 17:49
    ok
  • Massimo Imperiali
    30.04.2020 20:44
    ok
  • Massimo Imperiali
    30.04.2020 20:39
    ok
  • Massimo Imperiali
    30.04.2020 20:36
    ok
  • Marta Guzy
    29.04.2020 20:43
    fajne... tylko trudne!
  • Massimo Imperiali
    26.04.2020 15:58
    facile per ora !
  • Massimo Imperiali
    26.04.2020 15:51
    vedremo … !
  • Massimo Imperiali
    26.04.2020 15:48
    chiarissimo !
  • Massimo Imperiali
    26.04.2020 15:44
    :)
  • Jaakko Koskelo
    07.10.2019 09:39
    Very useful information!
  • Jaana Mattila
    10.07.2019 13:50
    Sekava. Esim. värien käyttö näyttämään mitä merkin osaa kulloinkin tarkoitetaan, tekisi heti selkeämmän.
  • Jaana Mattila
    10.07.2019 13:45
    Sekava vaikutelma
  • Chiara Camporese
    02.05.2018 22:15
    Spiegato benissimo
  • ΕΥΘΥΜΙΟΣ - ΡΑΦΑΗΛ ΑΓΓΕΛΗΣ
    01.05.2018 23:52
    Excellent!!!
  • Paolo Pasquini
    01.10.2017 07:47
    Ottima la lezione, i caratteri cinesi sono scritti troppo piccoli!
  • levente schepisi
    10.07.2017 19:10
    Ottima lezione!
  • Florian Costea
    08.05.2017 16:27
    Varianta in Romana foarte slaba.
    Textul incepe in Engleza.
  • Florian Costea
    08.05.2017 16:23
    Corectati varianta in Romana
    xiū = odihna
  • Aleksandra Kmin
    11.12.2016 15:33
    super brnę do przodu
  • Amojo Samuel
    09.11.2016 20:07
    fine
  • Carlo MARINO
    31.07.2016 22:03
    Very interesting lesson
  • Ruzica Mikulic
    12.05.2016 17:01
    super
  • Alexandru Popescu
    15.04.2016 21:58
    Excelenta lecție!
  • reneja marn
    01.10.2015 15:22
    great lesson
  • maria paola ricci
    31.07.2015 15:37
    interessante ... fa venire voglia di approfondire l'origine dei caratteri e come sono cambiati nel tempo
  • Enrico Rossini
    13.03.2015 17:11
    very fashinating...it has a different and interesting tongue roots comparing with european languages
  • Agnieszka Mazur
    11.03.2015 15:39
    I love this GOLD sign :) good sign :) very logic explanation
  • Amaresh Biswas
    27.12.2014 15:52
    It is good for understanding, how a character has got the shape.
  • Giovanni Villella
    14.11.2014 14:45
    Buono
  • Waldemberg Fernandes osta Berg
    02.09.2014 03:25
    Bem explicativo.
  • Milena Koleva
    20.04.2014 22:16
    Много интересно, веднага се запомня.
  • Grace Sumidanu
    18.03.2014 21:54
    Przydatne złożenia podobnych znaków i ich wyjaśnienie.
  • ari saarinen
    25.01.2014 19:16
    Guan no 2 pin yin not written right
  • Raimo Pullat
    10.06.2013 16:12
    Grammatika on selgelt esitatud.
  • Marius Lapė
    29.05.2013 09:43
    See on hästi kirjutatud.
  • Esztora Petőfi
    16.05.2013 13:12
    Nagyon jól strukturált.
  • Blanka Slavik
    14.05.2013 08:46
    Myslím, že táto lekcia je dosť atraktívna.
  • Valdek Pall
    13.05.2013 13:38
    Väga hea heli kvaliteet
  • Donata Cazacu
    13.05.2013 08:50
    Un mod foarte uşor şi interesant de a învăţa limbi străine.
  • Андрей Врабчев
    10.05.2013 12:15
    Информацията е представена по много интересен начин.
  • Marta Malinowska
    09.05.2013 14:33
    Faktycznie znaki bardzo fajnie i czytelnie przedstawione.
  • Małgorzata Jendryczka
    30.12.2012 15:47
    Bardzo obrazowo przedstawione znaki, nawet dla manualnie niezbyt zdolnych użytkowników.

Context Menu

Products