Strokes
Parts of a Chinese Character

The Chinese writing system, known as Hanzi, is one of the oldest and most fascinating writing systems in the world. It is a pictographic language with a history of thousands of years.

5 Basic Strokes

一

横
[ héng 2 ]
  • Horizontal stroke is the most common stroke in Chinese characters. It is executed by starting from the left side of the character and moving the brush horizontally to the right.
横

丨

竖
[ shù 4 ]
  • The vertical stroke is executed by starting from the top right corner of the character and moving the brush vertically downwards. It is used to create vertical lines or columns in Chinese characters.
竖

丿

撇
[ piě 3 ]
  • The Left Falling stroke is executed by starting from the top right corner of the character and moving the brush diagonally downwards and to the left. It is used to create diagonal lines or slanted strokes in Chinese characters.
撇

㇏

捺
[ nà 4 ]
  • The Right Falling stroke is executed by starting from the center of the character and moving the brush in a circular motion. It is used to create circular or curved lines in Chinese characters.
捺

丶

点
[ diǎn 3 ]
  • The dot stroke, also known as the "dotting stroke," is executed by starting from the center of the character and moving the brush in a small circle to create a dot. It is used to create dots or small circles in Chinese characters.
点

27 Commonly Used Strokes

乛

横钩
[ héng 2   gōu 1 ]
  • Horizontal hook
横钩

㇇

横撇
[ héng 2   piě 3 ]
  • Left horizontal falling
横撇

㇌

横撇弯钩
[ héng 2   piě 3   wān 1   gōu 1 ]
  • Horizontal with a left falling and a curve
横撇弯钩

⺄

横斜钩
[ héng 2   xié 2   gōu 1 ]
  • Horizontal with vertical upward turning
横斜钩

㇕

横折
[ héng 2   zhé 2 ]
  • Horizontal turning
横折

㇆

横折钩
[ héng 2   zhé 2   gōu 1 ]
  • Horizontal turning with a hook
横折钩

㇊

横折提
[ héng 2   zhé 2   tí 2 ]
  • Horizontal turning with a rising
横折提

㇈

横折弯钩
[ héng 2   zhé 2   wān 1   gōu 1 ]
  • Horizontal bending with an upward hook
横折弯钩

㇎

横折折折
[ héng 2   zhé 2   zhé 2   zhé 2 ]
  • Horizontal and redoubled turning
横折折折

㇅

横折折
[ héng 2   zhé 2   zhé 2 ]
  • Horizontal and doubled turning
横折折

㇋

横折折撇
[ héng 2   zhé 2   zhé 2   piě 3 ]
  • Horizontal and redoubled turning with a left falling
横折折撇

㇍

横折弯
[ héng 2   zhé 2   wān 1 ]
  • Horizontal turning with a curve to the right
横折弯

㇛

撇点
[ piě 3   diǎn 3 ]
  • Left-falling dot
撇点

ㄥ

撇折
[ piě 3   zhé 2 ]
  • Left-falling turning
撇折

亅

竖钩
[ shù 4   gōu 1 ]
  • Vertical hook
竖钩

亅

竖提
[ shù 4   tí 2 ]
  • Vertical-rising
竖提

㇄

竖弯
[ shù 4   wān 1 ]
  • Vertical turning
竖弯

乚

竖弯钩
[ shù 4   wān 1   gōu 1 ]
  • Vertical upward turning
竖弯钩

㇗

竖折
[ shù 4   zhé 2 ]
  • Vertical turning to the right
竖折

ㄣ

竖折撇
[ shù 4   zhé 2   piě 3 ]
  • Vertical turning with a left falling
竖折撇

㇞

竖折折
[ shù 4   zhé 2   zhé 2 ]
  • Vertical and redoubled turning
竖折折

㇉

竖折折钩
[ shù 4   zhé 2   zhé 2   gōu 1 ]
  • Vertical and redoubled turning with a hook
竖折折钩

㇁

弯钩
[ wān 1   gōu 1 ]
  • Curved hook
弯钩

㇃

卧钩
[ wò 4   gōu 1 ]
  • Lying hook
卧钩

㇀

提
[ tí 2 ]
  • Rising stroke
提

㇂

斜钩
[ xié 2   gōu 1 ]
  • Slant hook
斜钩

㇡

横折折折钩
[ héng 2   zhé 2   zhé 2   zhé 2   gōu 1 ]
  • Horizontal and redoubled turning with a hook to the left
横折折折钩