Chinese Stroke Order: The Basic Strokes and Rules for Writing Characters

Every Chinese character is written in a set order, stroke by stroke. Learning the rules early makes characters easier to write, easier to remember and more legible.

The basic strokes

Characters are made from a small set of strokes:

• 横 (héng) — horizontal, left to right: 一
• 竖 (shù) — vertical, top to bottom: 丨
• 撇 (piě) — left-falling stroke: ノ
• 捺 (nà) — right-falling stroke: 乀
• 点 (diǎn) — dot
• 提 (tí) — rising stroke
• 钩 (gōu) — hook at the end of another stroke
• 折 (zhé) — turning stroke with a corner

The character 永 (yǒng, forever) is often taught first because it contains all the basic strokes.

The main stroke-order rules

1. Top to bottom. 三 is written from the top line to the bottom.
2. Left to right. 川 is written left stroke, middle, then right.
3. Horizontal before vertical when they cross. 十 starts with the horizontal stroke.
4. Left-falling before right-falling. 人 starts with the left stroke.
5. Outside before inside. 月 starts with the outer frame.
6. Close the box last. In 国, the outer frame is drawn, then the inside, and the bottom is closed last.
7. Centre before wings. In 小, the centre vertical is written first, then the left and right dots.

There are exceptions, but these seven rules cover most cases.

Why stroke order matters

• Legibility. Correct order produces better-proportioned characters.
• Speed. Handwriting flows more naturally with the standard order.
• Reading handwriting. Cursive forms depend on order.
• Dictionary look-up. Stroke count is used to find characters in some dictionaries.
• Handwriting input. Some apps recognise characters by stroke order.

Stroke count

Dictionaries often list characters by number of strokes: 人 has two, 好 has six, 谢 has twelve. Counting strokes correctly requires knowing where one stroke ends and another begins, which reinforces the basics.

Practice methods

1. Trace each new character several times, saying the strokes aloud.
2. Use squared paper, and keep characters the same size.
3. Learn radicals first, since they appear in many characters.
4. Practise a few characters daily rather than many once a week.

Dictionary link

A dictionary that shows the character clearly helps you see its components, and each new entry is a chance to practise writing.

Look up characters with English Chinese Dictionary →