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.

lán

This 'basket' character hides a bamboo basket *and

This 'brush' character began as a bamboo stalk cro

Born from bamboo exam slips and brotherly birth or

xiào

This 'laugh' character hides bamboo — because anc

zhàn

This ‘station’ character began as a ritual act o

穿

chuān

This 'wear' character began as a pictograph of an

chī

Despite its 'beast track' radical 禸, 离 has nothi

piào

This 'ticket' character hides an altar — its bott

zhī

This 'know' character hides an arrow — ancient sc

jīng

This 'eyeball' character hides a secret: its 'blue

zhēn

Originally a pictograph of a person standing whole

bǎi

This 'hundred' doesn't mean 100 — it started as '

bái

Originally a glowing rice sprout in oracle bone sc

bìng

This character began as a pictograph of a person l

guā

This 5-stroke character began as a detailed oracle

bān

This ‘class’ character began as a ritual image o

wán

This 'play' character evolved from ancient jade-ha

niú

This four-stroke character began as a vivid front-

huǒ

This four-stroke character began as three wavy fla

yóu

Originally a bronze-age fish gliding through styli

This 'wash' character began as a Bronze Age drawin

yǒng

This 'swimming' character hides a secret: its righ

Born in 1868 to translate 'steam engine,' this cha

qiú

This 'ball' character hides jade — its 王 radical

Originally two people standing side-by-side to mea

měi

This 'each' character hides a crowned mother — an

Originally two facing feet in oracle bone script,

This 'song' character hides a yawning mouth (欠)