types of chinese characters pictographs are characters which represent concrete things with an...

Types of Chinese Characters

Pictographs are characters which represent concrete things with an (slightly abstract) image

雨 龟

Types of Chinese Characters

Ideographs are graphical representations for abstract ideas

Types of Chinese Characters

Compound Pictographs and Compound Ideographs are combinations of pictographs and ideographs. Each element contributes to the whole idea of the single character.

雷

Types of Chinese Characters

Semantic-phonetic compounds

诂 谝 谤

镑 钟

仲中

钴 zhōng

zhōng

zhòng

（ center)

（ a last name)

（ clock)

Chinese Character Shapes

The most basic form of a Chinese character is a box which is slightly taller than it is wide.

Chinese Character Shapes

Here are some examples of simple boxy Chinese characters.

人木我平píng wǒ mù rén

Chinese Character Shapes

Another common form are symmetrical characters

Chinese Character Shapes

Here are some symmetrical characters you have already seen. Notice that they needn’t be perfectly symmetrical.

好林陆吗ma lù lín hǎo

Chinese Character Shapes

Symmetrical character shapes can also be top over bottom, or layered

男宋nà shéi sòng nán

娜 谁

Chinese Character Shapes

There are also boxy characters which are non-symmetrical. They do follow certain forms, however.

华都shào jiā dōu huá

绍嘉

Chinese Character Shapes

Some characters have triangular elements to them which cover or support other parts of the character

健近yǒu yóu jìn jiàn

有 友

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have outside-inside structure.

同月闪向

Characters with similar structures have strange stroke orders.

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have surround from the upper-left structure

发友危厘

Characters like these are written outside first

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have surround from the upper-right structure.

乃包可乌

Characters like these are written outside first

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have the surround from above structure.

问凤闭冈

Characters like these are written outside first

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have surround from below or surround from lower left structure

建运达凶

These two groups of characters are written inside first.

Chinese Character StrokesThere are 31 modern Chinese pen strokes that are used to write all characters.

as in the character yī (one) héng horizontal stroke

(written from left to right)

vertical stroke(written from top to bottom)

shí (ten)

shù

Chinese Strokes

down stroke to the left(written from top right to bottom left)

down stroke to the right(written from top left to bottom right)

pié

nà

bā (eight)

rù (to enter)

Chinese Strokes

dot(written from top to bottom right or left)

upward stroke(written from bottom left to top right

liù (six)

bǎ (to grasp)

diǎn

tí

Chinese Strokes

horizontal stroke with a hook

vertical stroke with a hook up to the left

hénggōu

shùgōu

zì (character)

xiǎo (small)

Chinese Strokes

shùtí

vertical stroke with a hook up to the right

cháng (length) lǚ (travel)

wāngōu

bending stroke with a hook

gǒu (dog)

Chinese Strokes

slant stroke with a hook

level bending stroke with a hook

wàng (to forget)

wǒ (I, me) xiégou1

wògōu

Chinese Strokes

horizontal stroke with a vertical turn

vertical stroke with a horizontal turn to the right

yī (doctor, medicine)

kǒu (mouth) heng2zhe2

shu4zhe2

Chinese Strokes

么 给

down stroke to the left combined with a dot

down stroke to the left combined with a long horizontal stroke

piězhé

piědiǎn

gěi (to give)me (grammatical particle)

nǚ (female)

Chinese Strokes

礼

冬

多

水

vertical stroke combined with a level bending stroke with a hook

horizontal stroke which turns into a diagonal

yě (also)

shuǐ (water)

duō (many)

dōng (winter)

lǐ (present)

héngpiě

shùwāngōu

Chinese Strokes

力月

门horizontal downward-turning stroke with a hook

horizontal downward-turning stroke with a tail 没 船

héngzhéwān

héngzhégōulì (power)

yuè (moon)

mén (door)

méi (negative, not, non-) chuán (boat)

Chinese Strokes

héngzhétí

héngxiégōu

飞 风

left-to-right up-then-down zig-zag only used in words radical

horizontal finishing in slant stroke with a hook

tǎo (to demand) lùn (to discuss)

fēi (to fly) fēng (wind)

Chinese Strokes

up-then-down left-to-right zig-zag only used in characters which include zhuān

zhuān (particular, expert)

up-then-down sweeping curve only used in characters which include yǐ

yǐ

yì (remember)

yì (art)

shùzhépié

héngpiéwāngōu

Chinese Strokes

shùzhézhégōu

héngzhézhépié

jí (and) jiàn (build)

mǎ (horse)vertical stroke with a double turn and a hook

horizontal stroke with a triple turn and a leftward stroke

Chinese Strokes

hengzhézhézhégōu

duì (team)

nǎi (used in conjunctions)

thus, so, therefore, then, thereupon

Chinese Stroke Order

1. From top to bottom ( 从上到下 )

早古全二

Chinese Stroke Order

2. From left to right ( 从左到右 )

好你叶一

Chinese Stroke Order

3. Horizontal before vertical ( 先横后竖 )

七王干十

Chinese Stroke Order

4. Diagonals right-to-left before diagonals left-to-right ( 先撇后捺 )

大又八人

Chinese Stroke Order

5. Outside before inside ( 从外到内 )

凤可厘向

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have outside-inside structure.

同月闪向

5. Outside before inside ( 从外到内 )

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have surround from the upper-left structure

发友危厘

Characters like these are written outside first

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have surround from the upper-right structure.

乃包可乌

Characters like these are written outside first

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have the surround from above structure.

问凤闭冈

Characters like these are written outside first

Chinese Character Shapes

These characters have surround from below or surround from lower left structure

建运达凶

6. Inside before outside ( 从内到外 ) for both groups of chars.

Chinese Stroke Order

7. Inside before bottom enclosing ( 先里头后封口 )

日国田因四 回

Chinese Stroke Order

8. Center verticals before outside "wings"( 先中间后两边 )

来永水小

Chinese Stroke Order

9. Cutting strokes last ( 相交笔画后写 )

羊干中

Chinese Stroke Order

10. Left vertical before enclosing ( 先左竖后封口 )

国田口日

Chinese Stroke Order

11. Top or upper-left dots first ( 点在上边或左上先写 )

闪永为衣

Chinese Stroke Order

12. Inside or upper-right dots last ( 点在右上或里边后写 )

玉瓦为我