
You can see the stroke order in characters 月 ( yuè, moon), 同 ( tóng, same), and 问 ( wèn, ask). From left to right.Īs in the previous case, the rule also applies to individual components.įor example, in the characters: 红 ( hóng, red), 林 ( lín, forest), 森 ( sēn, forest).Įnroll for free! 6. Thus, in the character 森, consisting of three 木, you will first write the one at the top. This rule also applies to components, not just to individual traits. Here are some examples in the characters 三 ( sān, three)band 森 ( sēn, forest). This motion allows you to write the next character by following the motion of the last stroke. When vertical strokes cross to form an "X," it's usually top right to bottom left, then top left to bottom right. Usually, the left vertical stroke is drawn first then the right.įor example, in the characters: 人 ( rén, person), 文 ( wén, culture), 木 ( mù, tree). The descending stroke on the left before the descending stroke on the right. The horizontal strokes are written first when there are horizontal and vertical strokes.įor example, this happens in the characters: 十 ( shí, ten), 下 ( xià, below), and 木 ( mù, tree). The horizontal stroke comes before the vertical stroke. You can also purchase notebooks specifically designed to write Chinese characters, but that's not necessary. Generate your own character practice sheet with Purple Culture If the squares in your notebook are too small, you can write each character in a 2x2 square. Use a square sheet and write each character in a square to practice this. Some characters have two parts: in this case, the two components should occupy, more or less, the same space. Pay attention to each character's size.Įach character must be contained in a hypothetical square. Once you've learned some simple characters and paid attention to a few rules, you will find that guessing the correct stroke order will come naturally and will take you far less time. If you learn the correct way to write, your 汉字 will appear more symmetrical and precise, and you will remember them more vividly because you spent more time concentrating on them.
CHINESE CHARACTER STROKE HOW TO
In my opinion, this is especially true when you first start learning how to write a Hanzi Chinese character.

Well, you should care! Learning stroke order may seem unnecessary, especially in our modern world, when we mostly type in pinyin instead of writing the characters.īut handwriting is here to stay, and stroke order remains extremely important.

After all, isn't the goal to write legible Chinese characters? Who cares how you write them? Many Chinese-language newbie learners question if the order of their strokes matters at all. Similar in the Japanese kanji characters, the Chinese stroke order called 笔画顺序 ( bǐhuà shùnxù) or 笔顺 ( bǐshùn), refers to the right and proper way to write both traditional and simplified Chinese characters using strokes.

Strokes are dots and lines-the writing movements of a character. Make learning Chinese easier today! What does stroke order mean?
