Basic Strokes of Chinese Characters: Names and Examples
Learn the basic strokes of Chinese characters: horizontal, vertical, dot, rising, left-falling and right-falling, plus turns and hooks, with pinyin and examples.
Learn to write Chinese characters
Guides to stroke order, components and remembering what you write.
Chinese Compound Words: Build Vocabulary from Characters
Much of Chinese vocabulary is built from two-character compounds. See how 电, 车 and 学 unlock families of words, and where literal meanings mislead.
Chinese Prefixes and Suffixes: English Affixes in Chinese
English has -er, un-, -able and -ize. Chinese builds words with characters like 者, 不, 可 and 化. A guide to Chinese prefixes and suffixes with examples.
Chinese Radicals and Their English Root Equivalents
A reference list of 20 common Chinese radicals paired with English roots of similar meaning, from hydro- to manu-, with example characters and pinyin.
Chinese Radicals Work Like English Word Roots
Chinese radicals work a lot like English word roots such as aqua- and manu-. See how components help you guess meanings, and where the analogy breaks down.
Chinese Phonetic Components: Guess How Characters Sound
Learn how Chinese phonetic components work, with real families like 青, 马 and 包, so you can guess how many new characters are pronounced.
Chinese Stroke Order Rules: 8 Basic Rules With Examples
Learn the 8 basic rules of Chinese stroke order with simple examples, why the order matters, and where Traditional and Simplified standards differ.
Does Writing Chinese Characters Help You Learn Them?
Does writing Chinese characters help? Here is what the research on handwriting, typing and character memory shows, what it cannot show, and how to practice.
How Chinese Characters Are Built: A Beginner's Guide
Chinese characters are not random drawings. Learn the four ways characters are built from smaller parts, and why learning components makes them easier to remember.
How Many Chinese Characters Do You Need to Know?
How many Chinese characters do I need to know? Sourced numbers from the HSK standard and frequency studies, and why words matter more than raw counts.
How to Learn Chinese Characters as an English Speaker
A practical plan for how to learn Chinese characters as an English speaker: components, character families, sound hints, writing, spaced review, and a sample week.
Confusing Chinese Radicals: Parts That Look the Same
Learn the confusing Chinese radicals that look alike but mean different things: flesh vs moon, left vs right 阝, 礻 vs 衤, and fire dots. Tips included.