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

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!