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.

chá

This 'apply' character isn’t about paperwork—it

chēn

This 'beat' character isn’t about violence — it

wěn

This rare, lyrical character looks like a hand rea

qiān

A 'cold' character that burns with urgency: 搴 loo

This 'hand + roof tile' character isn’t about arc

This rare, literary 'dig' hides an orphan (孤) ins

táng

This ‘hand-in-hall’ character doesn’t block —

Born from Tang dynasty stone-rubbing workshops, 搭

nuò

This 'holding' character isn’t about grasping —

miè

This rarely taught character hides a surgical-leve

jìn

This 'shake' character isn’t casual—it’s a ritu

sǎng

This character looks like a hand grabbing a loud '

shuò

This 13-stroke rarity looks like a hand shoving in

jiān

This 13-stroke character isn’t just ‘pick up’

zhī

This 'prop-up' character hides a literal branch in

This 'strike' character vanished from daily use —

sāo

Its right side 臊 originally meant 'foul odor' —

bàng

This 'row' character hides bamboo oars in its stro

chù

This character’s right side hides a pig in a fiel

sūn

This 'hand-rubbing' character hides a phonetic tri

zhǎn

This ‘sop up’ character hides a poetic paradox:

chuāi

This 13-stroke character hides a culinary secret:

chōu

This 'pluck' character hides a coiled spring in it

què

A 'sparrow' (雀) + 'hand' (扌) that means 'consult

wēi

This rare character hides a 3,000-year-old image o

zhā

This 12-stroke character hides a 'fork' inside its

This 'gesticulate' character hides a phonetic pran

qián

This 'carry' character doesn’t lift boxes — it b