Browse "HSK5" Characters

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

chǒu

This four-stroke glyph began as a shaman’s distor

xíng

Born as a decorated human figure in oracle bone sc

Born as a sheep-on-a-warrior pictograph 3,000 year

zhèng

This character looks like 'upright' + 'action' —

zhì

Born as 'cutting cloth to size,' 制 evolved into C

chǎn

This six-stroke character began as a Warring State