Browse Chinese Characters — Learn Chinese Through Stories

Every character has an origin. Discover the pictographs, myths, and history behind each Chinese character — with pinyin, stroke order, HSK level, and audio pronunciation.

fán

凡 • fán • 'ordinary' — HSK 6 Chinese characte

níng

凝 (níng) means 'to congeal' — physically, menta

凄 means 'intense cold' — not just temperature, b

yuān

10-stroke character 冤 (yuān) carries the meaning

jīng

Discover 兢 (HSK 6): the Chinese character for 'to

dōu

11-stroke character 兜 (dōu) carries the meaning

xiōng

凶 means 'vicious' or 'ominous'—a four-stroke HSK

zhào

What does 兆 mean? Pronounced zhào, HSK level 6,

chǔ

12-stroke character 储 (chǔ) carries the meaning

The Chinese character 拟 (nǐ) — 7 strokes, HSK 6

儒 is a HSK 6 Chinese character pronounced rú. It

jiǎn

How do you say 'frugal; thrifty' in Chinese? It's

仪 is a HSK 6 Chinese character pronounced yí. It

The Chinese character 僻 (pì) means 'remote' — e

jiāng

僵 (jiāng) means 'rigid' — capturing physical st

jiǎo

How do you say 'by mere luck' in Chinese? It's 侥

qiáo

The Chinese character 侨 (qiáo) means 'emigrant'

qīng

倾 (qīng) means 'to overturn' — a dynamic, high-

zhài

债 is a HSK 6 Chinese character pronounced zhài.

jié

8-stroke character 杰 (jié) carries the meaning '

wěi

What does 伪 mean? Pronounced wěi, HSK level 6, t

zhēn

The Chinese character 侦 (zhēn) means 'to scout'

Master 侧 (cè), HSK level 6 — the Chinese word f

The Chinese character 逼 (bī) means 'to force'—a

piān

偏 means 'to lean' — revealing how Chinese worldv