How to Write Chinese Characters: Stroke Order Rules
The 8 Basic Strokes
Every Chinese character is built from combinations of 8 basic stroke types: 横 (héng) horizontal, 竖 (shù) vertical, 撇 (piě) left-falling, 捺 (nà) right-falling, 点 (diǎn) dot, 折 (zhé) turning, 钩 (gōu) hook, and 提 (tí) rising. The character 永 (yǒng, eternal) famously contains all eight basic strokes.
Stroke Order Rules
Six main rules govern stroke order: top before bottom (三: three horizontal strokes, top to bottom), left before right (川: three vertical strokes, left to right), horizontal before vertical (十: horizontal first, then vertical), outside before inside (回: outer square first), close last (国: closing bottom stroke last), and center before sides in symmetrical characters (小: center vertical first).
Practice Tips
Use our Stroke Order tool to see animated stroke sequences. Generate custom practice sheets for the characters you are learning. Start with simple characters (一二三人大) and gradually work up to complex ones. Even 10 minutes of daily handwriting practice builds lasting muscle memory.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does stroke order really matter? ▼
Yes, for three reasons: consistent stroke order makes characters look better and more legible, it helps with handwriting speed, and handwriting recognition software on phones relies on correct stroke order to identify characters.
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