When learning to write Chinese characters, understanding stroke order is crucial. Proper stroke order ensures that characters are well-balanced and proportionate, making them easier to read and more visually appealing.
It also helps develop muscle memory, making handwriting smoother and more natural over time.
Though modern technology allows us to type characters effortlessly, writing by hand remains an important skill—especially for beginners.
Many handwriting recognition apps and digital tools also rely on correct stroke order for accurate character input. To help you build a strong foundation, here are eight basic stroke order rules to follow.
Top to Bottom
When writing Chinese characters, strokes generally start from the top and move downward. This ensures a natural flow and keeps characters balanced.
Examples:
- 二 (èr; two) – the topmost stroke is written first, followed by the lower one(s).
- 三 (sān; three) – the strokes are written in descending order from top to bottom.
Left to Right
Strokes on the left side of a character are written before those on the right. This rule helps maintain consistency when writing complex characters.
Examples:
- 林 (lín; woods) – the left tree (木) is written before the right tree.
- 明 (míng; bright) – the left component (日) is written before the right component (月).
Horizontal Before Vertical
When strokes intersect, horizontal strokes are written first, followed by vertical ones. This order ensures structural balance.
Examples:
- 十 (shí; ten) – the horizontal stroke is written first, followed by the vertical stroke.
- 干 (gān; dry) – the first horizontal stroke is written at the top, followed by the second horizontal stroke, and finally, the vertical stroke crosses through them.
Diagonals (Right to Left First)
For diagonal strokes, the right-to-left diagonal (丿) is written before the left-to-right diagonal (㇏). This helps maintain even character spacing.
Examples:
- 人 (rén; person) – the left diagonal stroke is written first, followed by the right diagonal stroke.
- 八 (bā; eight) – the first stroke is the right-to-left diagonal, followed by the left-to-right diagonal.
Center Before Sides
For vertically symmetrical characters, the central component is written first, followed by the elements on the sides. This rule helps ensure even spacing and proportion.
Examples:
- 小 (xiǎo; small) – the center stroke is written first, followed by the two side dots.
- 水 (shuǐ; water) – the central stroke is written first, followed by the left and right strokes.
Enclosures Before Contents
For characters with an enclosing structure, the outer strokes are written first, followed by the inner content.
If the enclosure has a bottom stroke, it is usually written last to “close” the character.
Examples:
- 日 (rì; sun) – the enclosure is drawn first, followed by the inner stroke, and then closed at the bottom.
- 回 (huí; return) – the outer box is written first, leaving the bottom stroke for last. Then, the inner stroke is added before finally closing the box with the bottom stroke.
Outside Before Inside
For characters with surrounding components, write the outer strokes first, followed by the inner elements, and then complete the character.
Examples:
- 田 (tián; field) – the outer box is written first, leaving the bottom stroke for last. Next, write the two intersecting strokes that form a “plus” symbol, then complete the character by closing it at the bottom.
- 国 (guó; country) – the outer box is written first, leaving the bottom stroke for last. Then, write the inner component 玉 (yù), and finally, close the character with the bottom stroke
Dots and Minor Strokes
Small strokes, especially dots, have specific placements in stroke order. Upper-left dots are written first, while upper-right or interior dots come last.
Examples:
- 京 (jīng; capital) – the top-left dot is written first before the main structure.
- 求 (qiú; to seek) – Begin with the main strokes: first, write the horizontal stroke, followed by the vertical stroke. Then, add the diagonal strokes—starting with the left side and then the right side. Finally, place the top-right dot last.
Why Stroke Order Still Matters
While writing by hand has become less common—even in many native speakers’ daily lives—stroke order is still important for several reasons:
- Logical Structure & Recognition: Understanding stroke order helps break down characters into their logical components, making them easier to learn and remember.
- Better Handwriting & Balance: Correct stroke order results in more legible and aesthetically pleasing handwriting.
- Improved Learning & Memory: Writing characters correctly reinforces memory and pattern recognition, aiding in learning new characters.
- Handwriting Recognition Tools: Many Chinese handwriting apps and dictionaries rely on correct stroke order for accurate character input. Incorrect stroke order may result in errors or unrecognized characters.
By following these eight stroke-order rules, you’ll build a strong foundation in reading and writing Chinese characters with confidence and accuracy. Ready to practice? Choose a character and start writing it using the correct stroke order!
