Your first characters
Write your first Chinese characters. Start with the ones that still look like what they mean.
How to start writing characters
Start with pictures
人 is a person seen from the side. 山 is three peaks. 日 was once a sun with a dot inside.
Stack what you know
One tree is 木, two make 林, a grove, and three make 森, a forest. Sun 日 plus moon 月 gives 明, bright.
Follow stroke order
Top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. Close the box last, as in 国.
Three trees make a forest.
Good to know
How many Chinese characters do I need to know?
About 2,000 to 3,000 will let you read most everyday text. Start with 100. Common characters come back again and again.
Should I learn simplified or traditional Chinese?
Learn simplified for mainland China and Singapore. Learn traditional for Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and many older Chinatown signs. One to start is enough.
Can you guess a Chinese character's meaning from its parts?
Often, yes. Most characters pair a meaning part with a sound hint. 妈, mother, has 女 for woman and 马 for the sound ma.
