Basics of Writing Hànzì

What Hanzi Are - Chinese and Cantonese Characters

Chinese characters aren't letters. Each is a unit of meaning (a morpheme). Many characters consist of:

Radical (部首) – gives meaning or category
Phonetic component – hints at pronunciation

Example:

妈(mā, mother)

女(female)

马(mǎ, horse - phonetic)

Stroke Order Rules

Stroke order is very important. It helps writing speed, recognition, dictionary lookup, and most importantly, it will help you to remember the characters better.

Basic rules:

Top ➜ Bottom
Left ➜ Right
Horizontal ➜ Vertical
Outside ➜ Inside
Inside ➜ Closing stroke last
Dots / small finishing strokes last

Examples:

三3 horizontal strokes: top ➜ middle ➜ bottom

口Draw outer frame first: left ➜ top ➜ right, then close bottom

中Top stroke ➜ outer frame ➜ center vertical line last

Basic Stroke Types

Chinese characters are built from basic strokes. Here are the main categories:

－横 (héng) = horizontal

|竖 (shù) = vertical

丿撇 (piě) = left diagonal

㇏捺 (nà) = right diagonal

丶点 (diǎn) = dot

㇀提 (tí) = upward

㇕折 (zhé) = turning

Radicals = Your Best Friend

Radicals help you guess meaning:

氵water radical ➜ wash, ocean, river

扌hand radical ➜ hit, clap, push

女female radical ➜ mom, sister, younger sister

口mouth radical ➜ tell, drink, eat

亻person radical ➜ stand, rest, act

讠speech radical ➜ say, speak, language

Learn about 50 common radicals and reading gets much easier.

Writing Tools & Tips

Use squared paper (田字格 grid).
Practice slowly with correct stroke order.
Memorize characters by chunks, not random strokes.
Don't draw — write with confidence and firm strokes.
Review often — repetition matters.

Good Beginner Characters to Start

日sun

月moon

木tree

山mountain

水water

人person

大big

小small

好good

Practice with Hanzi Guide

Want to read the pronunciation underneath the characters? Start with our beginner guide to Pinyin, Jyutping, and tones.

Ready to start practicing? Use our interactive practice tool to:

Watch stroke-by-stroke animations for any character
Practice writing with real-time feedback
Switch between simplified and traditional characters
Learn proper stroke order for 9000+ characters

Start with simple characters and gradually work your way up to more complex ones. Remember: consistency and correct stroke order are more important than speed!