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Chinese Character Guide
1. Strokes
We call the lines that form a Chinese character strokes ( 筆畫 bat1⠉ waak6⠤). There are eight basic strokes. They differ in the direction which the line goes to. Copy the basic strokes. Pay attention to their direction.
In a hook stroke (亅) or a bend stroke (乛), although the direction of the line changes in the middle, we still consider the stroke as one single stroke because we don’t lift the pen from the paper when changing the direction.
The eight basic strokes are combined to form other strokes. You will discover them as you learn different Chinese characters in later units.
2. Character Components
Individual strokes can be grouped together to form a character component.
Note that in some character components, the strokes don’t actually touch each other.
Character components can be combined to form a Chinese character.
3. Structures of Chinese Characters
Each Chinese character occupies a square of space.
Different structures can be used to combine character components inside the square of space to form a Chinese character. Some common structures are listed below.
The structures above can be further combined to form more complex characters. For example, the character 時 has a left right structure.
If we break down the character, we can see that the right component 寺 has a top bottom structure on its own.
4. Radicals
Radicals ( 部首 bou6⠤ sau2⠜) are used to categorize words in Chinese dictionaries. Each Chinese character belongs to one radical. The radical of a character usually appears as part of the character. The radical of each word below is highlighted in blue.
to hit
to kick
to sing
Radicals can tell us part of the meaning of a word. For example, the radicals may tell us which part of the body is involved in an action.
to hit
to kick
to sing
action involving hands
action involving legs
action involving mouth
However, note that the meaning of the radical in many words is obscure nowadays.
It would be useful to recognize some common radicals because they will appear across different characters frequently. You will be introduced to some common radicals in later units.
5. Punctuation
The most common punctuation marks in Chinese are listed below. Notice that punctuation marks also occupy a square of space just like a character and are centered in the square.
句號 geoi3 hou6 (。)
句號 geoi3⠒ hou6⠤ (。) is similar to a full stop in English.
我鍾意行山。
I like hiking.
逗號 dau6 hou6 (，)
逗號 dau6⠤ hou6⠤ (，) is similar to a comma in English that is used to separate clauses. Note that 逗號 dau6⠤ hou6⠤ is used between clauses much more often in Chinese.
頓號 deon6 hou6 (、)
頓號 deon6⠤ hou6⠤ (、) is similar to a comma in English that is used to separate items within one clause when there are more than two items.
問號 man6 hou6 (？)
問號 man6⠤ hou6⠤ is similar to a question mark in English.
你叫咩名呀？
What is your name?
冒號 mou6 hou6 (：)
冒號 mou6⠤ hou6⠤ is often used to introduce speech.
佢問：「究竟發生咩事？」
“What happened?” he / she asked.
引號 jan5 hou6 (「」)
引號 jan5⠔ hou6⠤ is similar to quotation marks in English. It is often used to surround speech.
佢問：「究竟發生咩事？」
“What happened?” he / she asked.
省略號 saang2 loek6 hou6 (⋯⋯)
省略號 saang2⠜ loek6⠤ hou6⠤ is similar to an ellipsis in English, but notice that 省略號 saang2⠜ loek6⠤ hou6⠤ in Chinese has six dots and occupies two squares of space.
我⋯⋯我都唔知⋯⋯
I… I don’t know either...
6. Writing Chinese Characters
To train yourself to write each character proportionally in size, you can use squared paper or notebooks to practice.
To write different components inside a character properly, you can draw a 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 grid above the sample of the character and then use the grid to navigate where each stroke should go.
Take the character 六 for example.
7. Stroke Order
When kids learn Chinese characters at school, they are usually required to write the strokes of a character in a correct stroke order. Teachers usually believe that following the correct stroke order can make kids write a character more aesthetically and smoothly, and understand and remember the structure of a character better. You can decide whether you want to follow the correct stroke order.
Here are some general principles for the correct stroke order.
Principle 1
Write from left to right.
Principle 2
Write from top to bottom.
Principle 3
Write horizontal before vertical.
Principle 4
For Enclosed Structures:
If the top is enclosed, write outside before inside.
If the character has a fully enclosed structure, write inside before closing the enclosure.
If the top is not enclosed, write inside before outside.
Principle 5
If the character is vertically symmetrical with a vertical stroke (丨) in the center, write the vertical stroke (丨) in the center before the strokes on the left and right.
Principle 6
When a downward-to-left stroke (丿) and a downward-to-right (㇏) stroke are put together to form a shape like ✕, write the downward-to-left stroke (丿) before the downward-to-right (㇏)
Principle 7
When a vertical stroke (丨) and a bend (乛) are put together to form a shape like ┌┐ or 口, write the vertical stroke (丨) before the bend (乛).
Principle 8
If the character has a dot (丶) in the corner, especially in the top-right or bottom-right corner, we usually write the dot (丶) last.
8. Inputting Chinese Characters on Digital Devices
We can use different input methods ( 輸入法 syu1⠉ jap6⠤ faat3⠒) to input Chinese characters on digital devices like computers, phones or tablets.
Categories of Input Methods
There are mainly three categories of input methods.
Input methods based on character shape
We type the character components or strokes of a character to find the character we need, based on the rules of the input method. It usually takes more time to learn an input method of this category because you need to remember a set of rules. There are many input methods of this category. Here are some common examples:
倉頡輸入法
cong1⠉ kit3⠒ syu1⠉ jap6⠤ faat3⠒
Cangjie Input Method (Using character components)
速成輸入法
cuk1⠉ sing4⠢ syu1⠉ jap6⠤ faat3⠒
Sucheng Input Method (Using character components)
筆畫輸入法
bat1⠉ waak6⠤ syu1⠉ jap6⠤ faat3⠒
Stroke Input Method (Using strokes)
If you want to learn an input method based on character shape, you can refer to the resources here to begin.
Input methods based on pronunciation
We type the pronunciation of a character, based on a Romanization system of Cantonese. Jyutping is commonly supported. Input methods of this category is usually called the following names on digital devices:
粵語拼音輸入法
jyut6⠤ jyu5⠔ ping3⠒ jam1⠉ syu1⠉ jap6⠤ faat3⠒
Cantonese Phonetic Input Method
廣東話拼音輸入法
gwong2⠜ dung1⠉ waa2⠜ ping3⠒ jam1⠉ syu1⠉ jap6⠤ faat3⠒
Cantonese Phonetic Input Method
Handwriting Input
We simply write a character on the digital device, and the device will identify the character we are writing. Handwriting input is usually called the following name on digital devices:
手寫輸入
sau2⠜ se2⠜ syu1⠉ jap6⠤
Handwriting Input
When you choose your input method, you can consider the following questions:
- How long does it take to learn the input method?
- How is the typing speed in the short run and in the long run?
- Is my knowledge of characters or pronunciation enough for me to use the input method?
- Will the input method facilitate my learning of characters or pronunciation?
Installing Input Methods
Select your operating system:
If you encounter any problems, you can reach out to us through Instagram, Facebook or this contact form.
Windows
macOS
For “Phonetic”, we recommend TypeDuck. When you type, TypeDuck will show the English meaning of the characters to help you select the correct character more easily.
All these input methods are available on macOS.
Follow the instructions on this webpage to add an input method:
Set up a Chinese or Cantonese input source on Mac
Select “Cantonese, Traditional” from the language list and then choose the input method you need.
If you are using an older version of macOS, you may not be able to find handwriting input under “Cantonese, Traditional”. Try “Chinese, Traditional” to see if you can find it.
There is a user guide for each input method.
- Type Cantonese using Cangjie - Cantonese on Mac
- Type Cantonese using Sucheng - Cantonese on Mac
- Stroke
- Trackpad Handwriting
- Phonetic
Android
For “Phonetic”, we recommend TypeDuck. When you type, TypeDuck will show the English meaning of the characters to help you select the correct character more easily.
All these input methods are available on Android through Gboard. Gboard is the keyboard app which is often preinstalled on Android devices.
If Gboard is not installed on your device, you can download it from Google Play through this link:
Follow the instructions on this webpage to add a new keyboard:
Select “Cantonese” from the language list and then choose the input method you need.
The Sucheng input method is called “Quick” on Gboard, and the Phonetic input method is called “Romanization” on Gboard.
iOS
For “Phonetic”, we recommend TypeDuck. When you type, TypeDuck will show the English meaning of the characters to help you select the correct character more easily.
All these input methods are available on iOS.
Follow the instructions on this webpage to add a new keyboard:
Add or change keyboards on iPhone
Select “Cantonese, Traditional” from the language list and then choose the input method you need.
For the Cangjie and Sucheng methods, you will find two choices:
- Standard: You will see the character components on the keyboard.
- QWERTY: You will see an English keyboard (which means you need to recall the character components by yourself).
If you are using an older version of iOS, you may not be able to find the Phonetic input method on iOS. You can check if you can install Gboard.
If yes, follow the instructions on this webpage to add a new keyboard:
Select “Chinese (Hong Kong)” for “Add language” and “Cantonese” for “Keyboard layout”.
Resources for Learning Input Methods Based on Character Shape
Changjie
There is an overview of the Changjie input method on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cangjie_input_method
If you prefer to watch a video, you can also watch this video (English subtitles available):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBq3f6tNkH8
You can find more examples for each Changjie radical on this webpage:
https://zh.wikibooks.org/zh-hant/倉頡輸入法/輔助字形#輔助字形列表
You may find it useful to print out a Changjie radical table so that you can refer to it when typing. Here are some examples of a Changjie radical table.
https://imgur.com/fGcJFUn
http://www.hkpe.net/cj/cjtable.htm
When you are not sure of the Changjie radicals for a character, you can use a Changjie dictionary to check the Changjie radicals. Here are some examples of the Changjie dictionaries:
https://www.倉頡字典.com/
https://www.hkcards.com/
Note that there are different versions of the Changjie input method. You may find some variations between versions. Also, the Changjie radicals for a specific word may vary across operating systems.
Sucheng
The Sucheng input method is a simplified version of the Cangjie input method. When using the Sucheng input method, you only type the first and last Cangjie radicals of a character. Refer to the resources for the Cangjie input method to learn how to decide the Cangjie radicals for a character.
Stroke
There is an overview of the stroke input method on Wikipedia:
9. Chinese Character Fonts
There are a lot of Chinese fonts ( 字型 zi6⠤ jing4⠢ or 字體 zi6⠤ tai2⠜). Three common categories of Chinese fonts are listed below.
宋體 sung3⠒ tai2⠜
Among these three categories of fonts, 楷體 kaai2⠜ tai2⠜ looks most similar to handwritten Chinese characters. It is often used in Chinese textbooks. In other contexts, such as books, newspapers, websites, signage, you will usually see the other two categories of fonts.
10. Chinese Characters and Pronunciation
One Character with Multiple Pronunciations
While most Chinese characters have only one pronunciation, some characters have more than one pronunciation. When we pronounce these characters, we usually decide the pronunciation based on the meaning of the word.
Listen to the example below. The character 樂 is pronounced differently in the two words below.
音樂 jam1⠉ ngok6⠤ music
快樂 faai3⠒ lok6⠤ happiness
In some other cases, a character is pronounced differently because of tone change. Tone change refers to the situation when the tone of a syllable is changed to another tone in a particular word.
Listen to the example below. The character 鏡 is pronounced as geng3⠒ individually, but as geng2⠜ in the word 眼鏡 ngaan5⠢ geng2⠜.
鏡 geng3⠒ mirror
眼鏡 ngaan5⠢ geng2⠜ glasses
There is often tone change when we see two identical characters appearing consecutively in a word.
Listen to the examples below. Notice the tones of the characters 爸 and 麻 change in the words.
爸爸 baa4⠢ baa1⠉ father
麻麻地 maa4⠢ maa2⠜ dei2⠜ so-so
Multiple Characters with Same Pronunciation
Different Chinese characters can share the same pronunciation.
Listen to the example below. All the underlined characters are pronounced as luk6⠤.
六十 luk6⠤ sap6⠤ sixty
綠色 luk6⠤ sik1⠉ green
陸地 luk6⠤ dei6⠤ land
錄音 luk6⠤ jam1⠉ to record (audio)
11. Traditional and Simplified Chinese Characters
There are two sets of Chinese characters: traditional Chinese characters ( 繁體字 faan4⠢ tai2⠜ zi6⠤) and simplified Chinese characters ( 簡體字 gaan2⠜ tai2⠜ zi6⠤).
The set of traditional Chinese characters are basically the original characters. In the set of simplified Chinese characters, many of the original characters have been simplified in their strokes or structure, or have undergone other changes, such as being merged with other characters.
Traditional Chinese characters are commonly taught and used in places like Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, whereas simplified Chinese characters are commonly taught and used in places like China, Singapore and Malaysia.
In this book, we use traditional Chinese characters. If you want to learn simplified Chinese characters, you can convert the characters in this book to simplified Chinese characters using the following tool.
Google Translate: Chinese (Traditional) to Chinese (Simplified)You can use Google Translate to convert traditional Chinese characters to simplified Chinese characters.
12. Variations in Chinese characters
There are sometimes regional variations on the actual strokes of a character. Different places may have their own preferred ways to write a character. For example, the following character is written slightly different in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
In Hong Kong, a horizontal stroke is usually written here.
In Taiwan, a downward-to-right stroke is usually written here.
Also, people from the same place may write a character differently, depending on their habit or style. But don’t worry! The differences usually won’t be too big. You should still be able to recognize a character even if it looks a bit different.
13. Written Cantonese
When people talk about written Chinese, they often refer to the variety of written Chinese that is similar to Mandarin. It is quite different from Cantonese in grammar and vocabulary. It is referred as 書面語 syu1⠉ min2⠜ jyu5⠔ (which literally means “language on books”) in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong schools, students learn to read and write 書面語 syu1⠉ min2⠜ jyu5⠔ in Chinese lessons. 書面語 syu1⠉ min2⠜ jyu5⠔ is used in books, newspapers and documents. Also, by convention, 書面語 syu1⠉ min2⠜ jyu5⠔ is usually used in lyrics of Cantonese songs and subtitles for movies and TV shows.
Cantonese can also be written down with Chinese characters. We will refer to Cantonese that is written down with Chinese characters as written Cantonese in this book. Written Cantonese is commonly used in less formal contexts, such as text messages, online discussion board posts, posters or less formal articles.
There are a set of Cantonese-specific words which are not used in 書面語 syu1⠉ min2⠜ jyu5⠔. Many of these Cantonese-specific words don’t have a standard written form. Native Cantonese speakers may use different Chinese characters to represent the same word (e.g., both 仲 and 重 for the word zung6⠤). Sometimes, they may even use English letters to represent a word that they don’t know how to write using Chinese characters (e.g., hea for the word he3⠒). They may also do so just for convenience (e.g., D for the word di1⠉ instead of writing the character 啲).
Note that the written Chinese you see in this book is written Cantonese instead of 書面語 syu1⠉ min2⠜ jyu5⠔. If you want to learn to read and write 書面語 syu1⠉ min2⠜ jyu5⠔, you should refer to other learning resources.
Congratulations! 🎉
You have completed this Chinese character guide. You should be ready to learn some common Chinese characters in later units.