Chinese Stroke Order Rules: How to Write Characters
Every Chinese character has a standard order for its strokes. It sounds strict, but a handful of rules covers almost every character, and once they become habit, writing feels natural and your characters look right.
By the Memphys team · Updated · 6 min read
Why stroke order matters
- It helps you remember. Writing in a fixed order turns a shape into a movement your hand remembers.
- Your characters look balanced. The rules exist because they lead to neat, well-proportioned characters.
- Handwriting checkers expect it. Teachers, tests and many handwriting practice apps check that strokes come in the standard order.
- You can read handwriting. Fast, joined-up handwriting follows stroke order, so knowing it helps you read notes and signs.
The basic Chinese strokes
Every character is made from a small set of strokes. These eight are the foundation; most others are combinations of them.
| Stroke | Name | Type | How to write it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | héng | Horizontal | Left to right |
| 丨 | shù | Vertical | Top to bottom |
| 丿 | piě | Left-falling | Sweeps down to the left |
| ㇏ | nà | Right-falling | Sweeps down to the right, widening at the end |
| 丶 | diǎn | Dot | A short, angled touch |
| ㇀ | tí | Rising | Flicks up to the right |
| 𠃍 | zhé | Turning | Changes direction in one stroke |
| 亅 | gōu | Hook | Ends with a small flick |
The rules of Chinese stroke order
| Example | Rule |
|---|---|
| 十 | Horizontal before vertical. Write 一 first, then 丨. |
| 人 · 八 | Left-falling before right-falling. The stroke sweeping left comes before the one sweeping right. |
| 三 · 言 | Top to bottom. Work down the character. |
| 川 · 明 | Left to right. Finish the left part before the right part. |
| 月 · 同 | Outside before inside. Draw the frame, then fill it. |
| 日 · 国 | Inside before closing. Fill the box, then close the bottom: “enter the room, then shut the door”. |
| 小 · 水 | Middle before the sides. In balanced characters, the center stroke goes first. |
| 这 · 进 | Walking radicals last. 辶 wraps the bottom, so it is written after the part it carries. |
| 我 · 玉 | Some dots last. A dot at the top right or inside a character is often the final stroke. |
There are exceptions, and a few characters are written differently in mainland China, Taiwan and Japan. When in doubt, check an animated stroke order for the character, then write it several times.
Tips for writing Chinese characters from memory
- Spot the parts first. Most characters are made of radicals you already know, so you are really writing two or three familiar pieces.
- Trace, then copy, then recall. Trace a model, copy it beside the model, and finally write it with the model hidden. Recall is what makes it stick.
- Write it big. Large characters make the proportions and the stroke directions easier to feel.
- Say it as you write it. Linking the sound, the meaning and the movement builds a stronger memory.
- Come back tomorrow. Writing a character again a day later is worth more than writing it twenty times today.
In Memphys, every character is shown stroke by stroke. You trace it, then write it from memory, and your handwriting is checked stroke by stroke on your phone.
Keep reading
- How to Start Learning Mandarin Chinese: A Beginner's PlanWhere to begin, what to learn first and how to keep going a little every day.
- Mandarin Tones: A Beginner's Guide to the Four TonesThe four tones and the neutral tone, the tone changes to know, and how to practice.
- Pinyin Guide: How to Read and Pronounce Chinese PinyinInitials, finals, tone marks and the letters that trip up English speakers.