Introductory Course · Lesson 19
Character Unit 2: Basic Strokes and Stroke Order
Chinese strokes are the smallest building blocks of characters. In this lesson, focus on the essential strokes first, then use the complete stroke list as a reference.
Lesson Goal
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to recognize the most common basic strokes, understand the main stroke-order rules, and use a 田字格 grid to keep simple characters balanced.
- Recognize the core strokes that appear in common beginner characters.
- Use the seven stroke-order rules as a practical writing guide.
- Practice writing simple characters without trying to memorize all 32 strokes immediately.
Before You Start
You do not need to memorize the full 32-stroke list today. Treat it like a dictionary. For the first pass, focus on the strokes you see again and again.
Learn
Start with these essential strokes. They will help you understand many beginner characters such as 一, 十, 人, 口, 日, 月, 木, and 好.
Reference: Complete Stroke List
The full list is useful, but it is not a first-day memorization task. Open it when you want to check the name or shape of a stroke.
View the complete 32-stroke reference
| Name (Pinyin / English) | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 点Dot | 丶 | 主 |
| 2. 横Horizontal | 一 | 三 |
| 3. 竖Vertical | 丨 | 十 |
| 4. 撇Throw | 丿 | 八 |
| 5. 捺Press | ㇏ | 人 |
| 6. 提Rise | ㇀ | 打 |
| 7. 撇点Throw Dot | 𡿨 | 女 |
| 8. 竖提Vertical Rise | 𠄌 | 长 |
| 9. 横折提Horiz. Turn Rise | ㇊ | 语 |
| 10. 弯钩Curved Hook | ㇁ | 了 |
| 11. 竖钩Vertical Hook | 亅 | 小 |
| 12. 竖弯钩Vert. Curved Hook | 乚 | 孔 |
| 13. 斜钩Slant Hook | ㇂ | 我 |
| 14. 卧钩Lying Hook | ㇃ | 心 |
| 15. 横钩Horizontal Hook | 乛 | 写 |
| 16. 横折钩Horiz. Turn Hook | 𠃌 | 力 |
| Name (Pinyin / English) | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 17. 横折弯钩H. Turn Curved Hook | ㇈ | 九 |
| 18. 横撇弯钩H. Throw Curved Hook | ㇌ | 郑 |
| 19. 横折折折钩Triple Turn Hook | 𠄎 | 奶 |
| 20. 竖折折钩Vert. Double Turn Hook | ㇉ | 与 |
| 21. 竖弯Vertical Curve | ㇄ | 西 |
| 22. 横折弯Horiz. Turn Curve | ㇍ | 没 |
| 23. 横折Horizontal Turn | 𠃍 | 口 |
| 24. 竖折Vertical Turn | ∟ | 山 |
| 25. 撇折Throw Turn | ㄥ | 云 |
| 26. 横撇Horizontal Throw | ㇇ | 水 |
| 27. 横折折撇H. Double Turn Throw | ㇋ | 及 |
| 28. 竖折撇Vert. Turn Throw | ㄣ | 专 |
| 29. 横斜钩Horiz. Slant Hook | ⺄ | 风 |
| 30. 竖折折Vert. Double Turn | ㄣ | 鼎 |
| 31. 横折折Horiz. Double Turn | ㇅ | 凹 |
| 32. 横折折折Horiz. Triple Turn | ㇎ | 凸 |
Practice
The highlighted stroke indicates the new stroke written in that step.
This is a Tián-zì-gé (Four-square Grid/Rice Grid).
Watch the animation to see how the character "Yǒng" (Forever) is written stroke by stroke. The grid helps position each stroke perfectly.
Practice these characters slowly. Say the stroke direction as you write: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling, dot, turn.
Unit Summary
Great work. You now have a practical first map for writing Chinese characters.
- Core strokes: Start with the most common strokes before memorizing the full list.
- 32-stroke reference: Use it as a lookup tool, not a memorization test.
- 7 rules: Use top-to-bottom, left-to-right, and outside-to-inside logic when writing.
- Balance: Use the 田字格 grid to keep characters centered.
Next Step: In the next character lesson, you will learn how characters evolved and why many shapes are more logical than they first appear.