Browse "Numeral" 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.

jiāng

This character began as 'a person made immovably s

zhài

This character’s right side evolved from 'cowrie

Born from a diviner’s knife cutting ritual shells

jiā

Though it means 'beautiful,' 佳 never describes fa

biàn

This character’s 16 strokes encode a 2,300-year-o

jiàn

Originally a bronze-age image of a foot stepping o

Originally a bronze-age image of striding to seize

shǎng

A 3,000-year-old ‘reward’ character that fuses h

mào

This ‘commerce’ character hides a 2,500-year-old

cái

This 'money' character hides a battle-axe atop cow

bèi

This four-stroke 'shell' gave birth to Chinese mon

lǎn

Born as a Bronze Age general surveying hills, 览 s

Born from Shang dynasty priests mending sacred rob

cái

This 'cutting' character began as a tailor’s knif

chóng

This six-stroke character began as a wriggling wor