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.

This character looks like a roof sheltering humili

chěng

This character looks like a simple town sketch —

páng

This character looks like a broad roof over a shag

xiū

This 'protection' character isn’t about walls or

zhì

This rare character hides a pig under its roof —

xiáng

This 3,000-year-old ‘school’ character hides a s

gēng

This 'age' character isn’t about birthdays — it

páo

This 'kitchen' character hides a butcher’s cleave

guǐ

This 7-stroke 'shelf' character hides a Zhou-dynas

dùn

This 'village' character hides in plain sight — w

A 5-stroke relic meaning 'to prepare' — visually

qiān

This 'zero-stroke' character—just two parallel li

xiǎn

This ‘carriage curtain’ character hides a delici

jié

This 'wipe' character doesn’t dab — it erases wi

chú

This elegant, nearly extinct character for 'mosqui

miè

This 'carriage cover' character hides a crown-and-

chóu

This 10-stroke character looks like silk cords hol

fén

This rare character preserves a vanished world: ev

chān

This 'carriage curtain' character 幨 hasn’t been

This rare character isn’t just ‘canopy’—it’s

fān

This 'banner' character hides a spiritual secret:

A 2,500-year-old 'arrogance' character that doesn

zhàng

This 'hanging scroll' character hides a historian

This 11-stroke 'turban' character hides a Han dyna

guó

This 'woman's cap' character fuses textile (巾) an

màn

This 'curtain' character hides a vine (蔓) inside

jià

This character isn’t just 'cloth' — it’s a ling

huǎng

This 'shop sign' character hides an imperial secre