1. Types of Chinese Characters
Pictographs are characters which represent concrete things with an (slightly abstract) image 龟 雨

2. Types of Chinese Characters
Ideographs are graphical representations for abstract ideas

3. 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

4. Types of Chinese Characters
Semantic-phonetic compounds 中
zhōng
（center) 仲
zhòng
（a last name) 诂 谝 谤 钴 镑 钟
zhōng
（clock)

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

6. Chinese Character Shapes
Here are some examples of simple boxy Chinese characters. 平 我 木 人
píng wǒ mù
rén

7. Chinese Character Shapes
Another common form are symmetrical characters

8. Chinese Character Shapes
Here are some symmetrical characters you have already seen. Notice that they needn’t be perfectly symmetrical. 吗 林 好 陆 ma lù
lín
hǎo

9. Chinese Character Shapes
Symmetrical character shapes can also be top over bottom, or layered 娜 宋 男 谁 nà
shéi
sòng
nán

10. Chinese Character Shapes
There are also boxy characters which are non-symmetrical. They do follow certain forms, however. 嘉 绍 都 华
shào
jiā
dōu
huá

11. Chinese Character Shapes
Some characters have triangular elements to them which cover or support other parts of the character 有 友 近 健
yǒu
yóu
jìn
jiàn

12. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have outside-inside structure. 向 闪 月 同
Characters with similar structures have strange stroke orders.

13. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have surround from the upper-left structure 厘 危 友 发
Characters like these are written outside first

14. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have surround from the upper-right structure. 乌 可 包 乃
Characters like these are written outside first

15. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have the surround from above structure. 冈 闭 凤 问
Characters like these are written outside first

16. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have surround from below or surround from lower left structure 凶 达 运 建
These two groups of characters are written inside first.

17. Chinese Character Strokes
There 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)
shù
vertical stroke (written from top to bottom)
shí (ten)

18. Chinese Strokes
down stroke to the left (written from top right to bottom left)
bā (eight)
pié nà
down stroke to the right (written from top left to bottom right)
rù (to enter)

19. Chinese Strokes liù (six) diǎn
dot (written from top to bottom right or left)
bǎ (to grasp) tí
upward stroke (written from bottom left to top right

20. Chinese Strokes hénggōu zì (character) horizontal stroke with a hook
shùgōu
vertical stroke with a hook up to the left
xiǎo (small)

21. Chinese Strokes shùtí cháng (length) lǚ (travel)
vertical stroke with a hook up to the right
wāngōu
gǒu (dog)
bending stroke with a hook

22. Chinese Strokes wǒ (I, me) xiégou1 slant stroke with a hook
wàng (to forget)
wògōu
level bending stroke with a hook

23. Chinese Strokes heng2zhe2 kǒu (mouth)
horizontal stroke with a vertical turn
shu4zhe2
yī (doctor, medicine)
vertical stroke with a horizontal turn to the right

24. 给 么 Chinese Strokes me (grammatical particle)
down stroke to the left combined with a long horizontal stroke
piězhé
gěi (to give) 给 么
piědiǎn
nǚ (female)
down stroke to the left combined with a dot

25. 多 礼 水 冬 Chinese Strokes duō (many) lǐ (present) héngpiě shuǐ (water)
dōng (winter) 水 冬
horizontal stroke which turns into a diagonal
shùwāngōu
vertical stroke combined with a level bending stroke with a hook
yě (also)

26. 月 力 门 没 船 Chinese Strokes yuè (moon) héngzhégōu
horizontal downward-turning stroke with a hook
lì (power)
mén (door) 力 门
héngzhéwān
horizontal downward-turning stroke with a tail
chuán (boat)
méi (negative, not, non-) 没 船

27. 飞 风 Chinese Strokes héngzhétí
left-to-right up-then-down zig-zag only used in words radical
tǎo (to demand)
lùn (to discuss)
héngxiégōu
horizontal finishing in slant stroke with a hook
fēi (to fly)
fēng (wind) 飞 风

28. Chinese Strokes
up-then-down left-to-right zig-zag only used in characters which include zhuān
shùzhépié
zhuān (particular, expert)
héngpiéwāngōu
up-then-down sweeping curve only used in characters which include yǐ yǐ
yì (art) yì
(remember)

29. Chinese Strokes shùzhézhégōu mǎ (horse)
vertical stroke with a double turn and a hook
héngzhézhépié
horizontal stroke with a triple turn and a leftward stroke
jí (and)
jiàn (build)

30. Chinese Strokes duì (team) hengzhézhézhégōu nǎi (used in conjunctions)
thus, so, therefore, then, thereupon

31. 1. From top to bottom (从上到下)
Chinese Stroke Order
1. From top to bottom (从上到下) 二 全 古 早

32. 2. From left to right (从左到右)
Chinese Stroke Order
2. From left to right (从左到右) 一 叶 你 好

33. 3. Horizontal before vertical (先横后竖)
Chinese Stroke Order
3. Horizontal before vertical (先横后竖) 十 干 王 七

34. 4. Diagonals right-to-left before diagonals left-to-right ( 先撇后捺)
Chinese Stroke Order
4. Diagonals right-to-left before diagonals left-to-right ( 先撇后捺) 人 八 又 大

35. 5. Outside before inside (从外到内)
Chinese Stroke Order
5. Outside before inside (从外到内) 向 厘 可 凤

36. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have outside-inside structure. 向 闪 月 同
5. Outside before inside (从外到内)

37. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have surround from the upper-left structure 厘 危 友 发
Characters like these are written outside first

38. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have surround from the upper-right structure. 乌 可 包 乃
Characters like these are written outside first

39. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have the surround from above structure. 冈 闭 凤 问
Characters like these are written outside first

40. Chinese Character Shapes
These characters have surround from below or surround from lower left structure 凶 达 运 建
6. Inside before outside (从内到外) for both groups of chars.

41. 7. Inside before bottom enclosing (先里头后封口)
Chinese Stroke Order
7. Inside before bottom enclosing (先里头后封口) 因 田 国 日 四 回

42. 8. Center verticals before outside "wings"( 先中间后两边)
Chinese Stroke Order
8. Center verticals before outside "wings"( 先中间后两边) 小 水 永 来

43. 9. Cutting strokes last ( 相交笔画后写)
Chinese Stroke Order
9. Cutting strokes last ( 相交笔画后写) 中 干 羊

44. 10. Left vertical before enclosing ( 先左竖后封口)
Chinese Stroke Order
10. Left vertical before enclosing ( 先左竖后封口) 日 口 田 国

45. 11. Top or upper-left dots first ( 点在上边或左上先写)
Chinese Stroke Order
11. Top or upper-left dots first ( 点在上边或左上先写) 衣 为 永 闪

46. 12. Inside or upper-right dots last ( 点在右上或里边后写)
Chinese Stroke Order
12. Inside or upper-right dots last ( 点在右上或里边后写) 我 为 瓦 玉