Browse 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.

lu:3

This obscure 'eave beam' character hides a poetic

xiāo

This ‘owl’ character isn’t about birds — it’s

jiǎn

This 'bamboo conduit' character hides an ancient e

gěng

Looks like 'wood + more', but this 11-stroke chara

zhī

This 'gardenia' character hides a botanical parado

This 11-stroke tree character carries ancestral ad

This 'stockade' character hides a bee in its wood

This 'wood + solid' character was born as imperial

zào

This 'zào' tree character hides soap in its bones

This 'wood-press' character hasn't changed its cor

bāng

This 10-stroke character isn’t just ‘wood’ + ‘

méi

This 'plum' isn’t fruity — it’s a frost-bloomin

tǐng

Its top half 廷 sounds like 'ting' and hints at 'c

jué

This 'rafter' character hides a sonic secret: 角 (

This ‘beam’ character hides a secret: its right

This 11-stroke character is a rare, unchanging fos

tīng

Born from a fusion of 'wood' and 'pavilion,' 桯 is

zhēn

This character began as a Bronze Age sketch of rai

suō

Though it looks like a ‘rope tree,’ 桫 isn’t ab

jiù

This 'enduring tree' character (木+久) looks like

huán

This 'soapberry' character began as a sacred pilla

tóng

This 'tree' character hides a musical secret: its

zhì

This 'wood + arrival' character doesn’t mean 'to

ān

This 'eucalyptus' character didn’t exist in ancie

wéi

This 'mast' character hides a silent warning: its

guàng

A 10-stroke character born from wood + light-sound

guì

This ‘cassia’ character hides a jade tablet (圭)

háng

This wooden 'beam' character once clamped around c