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.

guāng

This 6-stroke character began as a person crowned

yǔn

This 4-stroke character began as a kneeling judge

yōu

Born as 'court entertainer,' 优 evolved into 'exce

jǐn

This 'exhaustion' character evolved into Chinese’

jǐn

Though it looks like a person holding one hand, 仅

chuán

Originally a pictograph of a person beating a drum

ào

This 'proud' character began as a pictograph of a

xiào

This 'effect' character hides a hand holding a sti

This ‘instructor’ isn’t just any teacher — it

ǒu

Originally meaning 'wooden puppet' — now the soul

tíng

Originally a pictograph of a roadside pavilion —

zhí

Looks like 'person + straight' — because in ancie

xìng

This character began as a drawing of shackled ankl

dǎo

This character began as a Bronze Age sketch of a p

bèi

This 'person' radical character evolved from 'obed

liǎ

This 'two' character drops the measure word, skips

xiū

This character began as a hand decorating ritual b

bǎo

Originally a Bronze Age image of a person cradling

Originally a pictograph of a person crouching insi

gōng

Its ancient form shows two hands lifting a vessel

Born from 'arranging people in rows,' 例 evolved f

Born as a person holding a sacred jade disc and ga

This 'low' character began as a person bowing unde

Though it looks like 'ancient person,' 估 is all a

huǒ

Though it means 'meals', 伙 began as a pictograph

fèn

This 6-stroke character looks like a person dividi

rèn

This six-stroke character began as a person carryi

jiè

This six-stroke character hides a royal courier —