{"id":4719,"date":"2015-03-28T07:05:30","date_gmt":"2015-03-28T07:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=4719"},"modified":"2024-06-29T06:23:38","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T06:23:38","slug":"why-stroke-order-is-important-and-how-to-master-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/why-stroke-order-is-important-and-how-to-master-it.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Chinese Stroke Order is Important and How to Master it"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is stroke order?<\/h2>\n\n\n

The Chinese stroke order system was designed to produce aesthetically pleasing, symmetrical, and balanced characters written with brush and ink on paper. It allows for the minimum amount of hand movements, meaning that the writing flows across the page \u2013 remember that scene in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, where Jen Yu and Yu Shulian compare the art of calligraphy with sword-strokes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily for Chinese learners, the rules aren\u2019t too complicated, and they have a logic of their own when you apply them consistently. They also conserve energy, so your hand won\u2019t be tired from writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

Why bother to learn stroke order?<\/h2>\n\n\n

It\u2019ll give you much better Chinese handwriting, winning approval from your teachers and any other Chinese person who tries to read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well-written Chinese characters are much easier to read, and knowing the correct stroke order helps you to memorize more characters, as your hand seems to retain a kind of muscle memory with practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, it\u2019s much easier to understand the different patterns and elements that make up Chinese characters when you know how they\u2019re supposed to be written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing the right Chinese character stroke order also improves your reading ability, because the structure of the characters will be more familiar to the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you want to input a character using Pleco<\/a>\u2019s handwriting option, the app will recognize the correct stroke order even if your handwriting isn\u2019t the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

How to master stroke order<\/h2>\n\n\n

First, the main rules of Hanzi stroke order:<\/p>\n\n\n

1. Top to bottom<\/h3>\n\n\n

When a Chinese character is \u201cstacked\u201d vertically, with elements on top of each other, like the character \u7acb (l\u00ec) or \u201cto stand,\u201d the rule is to write from top to bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u4e09 (s\u0101n) three<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u4e3b (zh\u01d4) main, master<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u4e8f (ku\u012b) deficit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

2. Left to right<\/h3>\n\n\n

When a Chinese character has elements standing next to each other, the character is written left to right. Take a look at the \u201c\u5403 (ch\u012b)\u201d example below, which means \u201cto eat.\u201d The \u201cmouth\u201d radical is written before the element on the right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u4ece (c\u00f2ng) from<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u6797 (l\u00edn) forest<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
\u6e56 (h\u00fa) lake<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Many complex Chinese characters often confuse learners regarding their corresponding stroke orders. Just remember, they generally all follow Chinese basic stroke rules, such as going from top to bottom and from left to right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

3. Symmetry matters<\/h3>\n\n\n

When you are writing a character that is centered and more or less symmetrical (but not stacked from top to bottom) the general rule is to write the center stroke first. Check out the character \u201c\u5c0f(xi\u01ceo)\u201d which means \u201csmall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u6c38 (y\u01d2ng) forever<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u6c34 (shu\u01d0) water<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

4. Horizontal first, vertical second<\/h3>\n\n\n

Horizontal strokes are always written before vertical strokes. Check out how to write the character \u201c\u5341(sh\u00ed)\u201d or \u201cten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u738b (w\u00e1ng) a surname<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u5e72 (g\u0101n) dry<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
\u4e30 (f\u0113ng) enrich<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

5. Enclosures before content<\/h3>\n\n\n

Build your fences before you put the chickens inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You want to create the frame of the character before filling it in. Check out how to write the character \u65e5(r\u00ec) or \u201csun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stroke<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u76ee (m\u00f9) eye<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
\u56db (s\u00ec) four<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

6. Close frames last<\/h3>\n\n\n

Let the people into the house before you shut the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, with the character \u201c\u56de(hu\u00ed)\u201d or \u201cto return,\u201d you write the outer enclosure first (see rule 5), then the little box, then the line at the bottom that \u201cshuts the door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u56fd (gu\u00f3<\/strong>) country<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u56ed (yu\u00e1n) garden<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

7. Character-spanning strokes last<\/h3>\n\n\n

Strokes that cut across all the other strokes are often written last. For example, the character \u534a (b\u00e0n), which means \u201chalf.\u201d The long vertical line is written last because it cuts through the rest of the character across its whole length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chinese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u4e2d (zh\u014dng) center, middle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u7533 (sh\u0113n) apply<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

Other tips for learning stroke order<\/h2>\n\n\n

There are a number of Chinese learning apps, e.g. Skritter<\/a>, that offer animated stroke-order diagrams, as well as a breakdown of the radicals, tones, and pronunciations associated with each character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I prefer to use a good, old-fashioned pen and paper, because I feel more connected to the characters that way \u2013 it\u2019s a very different experience than swiping on a screen with a finger or stylus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the beginning, I also had a set of flashcards that were held together with a keyring to help organize the characters I was practicing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all Chinese characters orders practice, you can download the sheet here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top tip: make sure before buying a set of flashcards that they include stroke order.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another handy learning tool is grid paper, or \u7530\u5b57\u683c\u7eb8 (ti\u00e1nz\u00ecg\u00e9zh\u01d0), which helps to keep your characters looking well-proportioned and your handwriting neat. There is even grid paper called \u7c73\u5b57\u683c\u7eb8 (m\u01d0z\u00ecg\u00e9zh\u01d0), which includes diagonal guidelines to make your characters even neater and clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hanzi Grids <\/a>offers downloads of printable grids that you can practice on. Or you can seek out a Chinese stationery shop \u2013 always a favorite pastime of mine \u2013 and buy a big exercise book to practice with at home or in the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whichever tools you use, I recommend doing a little bit of practice every day. Research has shown that \u201clittle and often\u201d is the way to go. One of the benefits of digital Chinese learning apps is that they will record your daily practice time and keep you on track, as well as give you the most appropriate content for your level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on how to get started learning Chinese characters have a look at this Dig Mandarin article: Chinese Characters: Are they worth learning? How do I get started?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To further enhance your understanding and mastery of Chinese characters, explore these valuable resources. Check out the comprehensive list of Chinese strokes<\/a> and the list of Chinese characters<\/a>. For a structured learning experience, consider Chinese character courses<\/a> and utilize various resources for learning Chinese characters<\/a>. To improve your writing skills, learn how to write Chinese characters<\/a> and start practicing handwriting<\/a>. Don’t forget to engage in regular Chinese handwriting practice<\/a> to reinforce your learning. Happy studying!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is stroke order? The Chinese stroke order system was designed to produce aesthetically pleasing, symmetrical, and balanced characters written with brush and ink on paper. It allows for the minimum amount of hand movements, meaning that the writing flows across the page \u2013 remember that scene in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, where Jen Yu…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":4731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[178,1],"tags":[86,89],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-4719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-characters","category-learn-mandarin-online","tag-chinese-characters","tag-tips-and-suggestions","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Chinese Stroke Order is Important and How to Master it<\/title>\n <meta name=\"description\" content=\"When it comes to writing Chinese stroke order is surprisingly important. 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