Chinese stroke order practice pdf#
Chinese stroke order practice plus#

When you write the letter “G,” do you think “three-quarter circle, then a short post,” or do you just think “G”? This compound stroke starts with a straight vertical line going down, followed by a bend, then another bend and finishes with a hook.īut consider that an English learner will have to remember “three-quarter circle” and “short post” to write the letter “G” -but only when initially learning to write it. This is a compound stroke that starts with a straight horizontal line going to the right, followed by a bend downwards. See how they work in this Chinese Characters video:įirst stroke: 橫折 (㇕). The first and second are compound strokes. How many strokes do you think the character 马 has? It might look like six strokes, but there are only three. In doing this, we’ll also introduce to you the last stroke of this post, called 折 (zhé), which means “bend” or “turn.” 折 seems like more of an instruction, but it’s an actual stroke. We’ll now use what we know to write the character for “horse,” which is 马 (mǎ). As you bring your stroke down to the bottom right, gradually add pressure. 捺 (nà) means “pressing forcefully.” Start at the top left.

提 (tí) means “raise.” Start at the left middle and swipe a short but deliberate upwards stroke, going to the right. For example, the stroke 斜钩 (xié gōu) is a common stroke using the hook in which you start from the top left, pull the stroke down to the bottom right, then flick your pen straight upwards to finish. The hook can stroke in any direction (see below). 钩 (gōu) means “hook.” This is mostly used in compound strokes and rarely by itself. 撇 (piě) is referred to as a “left falling stroke.” 撇 literally means “fling.” Start at the top middle and “fling” your stroke down to the bottom left. Start at the top middle of the square and draw a straight line down to the bottom middle. (By the way: You just wrote your first Chinese word! The single straight horizontal line is the character for the number one.) Start at the left middle of the square and draw a straight line across to the right middle. Here’s a video from eChineseLearning that demonstrates this stroke: If you’re just starting out, I recommend using actual squares!Īs you learn the strokes, write each one five times and say the name of the stroke out loud each time you write it.įirst, we have 点 (diǎn), which means “dot.” The stroke starts at the middle of the square and goes down diagonally to the right. When you practice strokes or characters, you should also draw within an imaginary square. When children learn to write, they use writing paper with rows of squares so they can learn to fit the characters within them, regardless of how complicated a character may be.

Chinese stroke order practice plus#

Here, you’ll get eight, plus a couple of compound strokes (which aren’t as hard as they might sound).Įach Chinese character is drawn within an imaginary square. There are many ways to count Chinese strokes. There are more people who use simplified characters than traditional, and they’re easier to learn. If those questions didn’t help you choose, go with simplified. Mainland China and the Mandarin-speaking communities of Singapore and Malaysia use simplified characters or 简体字 (jiǎn tǐ zi). Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau use traditional characters or 繁体字 (fán tǐ zi).

These questions help because the two character sets are regionally used. Where are the Chinese speakers you’ll be communicating with from?.When you use Mandarin, where will you live or travel to?.Both character sets have value, so this can be a tough call. The first thing to decide is whether you want to learn simplified or traditional Mandarin. Choose Simplified or Traditional Characters

Chinese stroke order practice pdf#

This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. Memorize Chinese Characters with Mnemonic Aids

Just follow our seven tips to help you master Chinese character writing, and you’ll be in great shape!

Remembering stroke order will ensure your characters are legible so that people will understand what you’re trying to express. Perhaps you want to write Chinese characters yourself.įor your Chinese writing to be successful, it’s essential to follow the correct stroke order. Chinese characters are beautiful and mysterious to many people.