Character explorer
Every published character, commonest first. Each links to its stroke order, components and the words that use it.
140 characters published on HSK Guide
| Character | Pinyin | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 是 | shì | to be (am, is, are); yes, that is so; correct, right9 strokes · radical 日 |
| 不 | bù | not, no — the general negative, placed before verbs and adjectives4 strokes · radical 一 |
| 人 | rén | person, human being; people2 strokes · radical 人 |
| 我 | wǒ | I, me; my7 strokes · radical 戈 |
| 在 | zài | to be at, to be in, to exist, to be present; at, in, on (before a place); (before a verb) the progressive marker6 strokes · radical 土 |
| 有 | yǒu | to have, to possess; there is, there are; to exist6 strokes · radical 月 |
| 他 | tā | he, him; his; (in the plural 他们) they, including groups of mixed or unstated gender5 strokes · radical 人 |
| 中 | zhōng · zhòng | middle, centre; in, among, within; China (in 中国); (zhòng) to hit the mark, to be hit by4 strokes · radical 丨 |
| 大 | dà · dài | big, large; (of age) old; greatly, very; (dài) only in 大夫 dàifu, a doctor3 strokes · radical 大 |
| 上 | shàng | above, upper, on top of; to go up, to get on, to attend; last, previous (上个月)3 strokes · radical 一 |
| 国國 | guó | country, nation, state; nationaltraditional 國 · 8 strokes · radical 囗 |
| 到 | dào | to arrive, to reach, to get to; to go to; up to, until; (as a verb complement) successfully8 strokes · radical 刀 |
| 说說 | shuō | to speak, to say, to talk; to explain; to tell off (colloquial)traditional 說 · 9 strokes · radical 言 |
| 们們 | men | the plural suffix for pronouns and for nouns denoting people: 我们, 你们, 他们, 朋友们traditional 們 · 5 strokes · radical 人 |
| 子 | zǐ · zi | child, son; a seed; (unstressed, zi) the noun suffix of 桌子, 儿子, 孩子3 strokes · radical 子 |
| 你 | nǐ | you (one person)7 strokes · radical 人 |
| 出 | chū | to go out, to come out; to produce, to issue, to put forth; to happen (of a problem); a measure word for plays and operas5 strokes · radical 凵 |
| 时時 | shí | time; an hour; a season; when, at the time oftraditional 時 · 7 strokes · radical 日 |
| 年 | nián | year; age, years of a person’s life; the annual harvest (original sense)6 strokes · radical 干 |
| 下 | xià | below, under, lower; to go down, to get off; to fall (of rain or snow); next (下个月)3 strokes · radical 一 |
| 生 | shēng | to be born; to grow; to give birth to; life; raw, uncooked; unfamiliar, strange5 strokes · radical 生 |
| 会會 | huì · kuài | to know how to, to be able to (through learning); to be likely to, will; a meeting, a gathering, an association; (kuài) only in 会计, accountingtraditional 會 · 6 strokes · radical 人 |
| 过過 | guò · guo | to cross, to pass by, to go through; to spend (time); to exceed; (unstressed guo) the experiential aspect markertraditional 過 · 6 strokes · radical 辵 |
| 家 | jiā | home; family, household; a specialist (as a suffix, e.g. 画家 painter); measure word for shops and businesses10 strokes · radical 宀 |
| 学學 | xué | to study, to learn; learning, a field of study; school (in 学校)traditional 學 · 8 strokes · radical 子 |
| 小 | xiǎo | small, little; young, junior3 strokes · radical 小 |
| 心 | xīn | heart; mind, feelings, intention; the centre of something (中心)4 strokes · radical 心 |
| 多 | duō | many, much; more; how (in questions of degree: 多大, 多远)6 strokes · radical 夕 |
| 天 | tiān | sky, heaven; day; weather (天气)4 strokes · radical 大 |
| 好 | hǎo · hào | good, fine, well; easy to do; (hào) to be fond of, to like6 strokes · radical 女 |
| 都 | dōu · dū | (dōu) all, both, entirely; even; already; (dū) a capital, a metropolis10 strokes · radical 邑 |
| 日 | rì | sun; day; day of the month in a written date4 strokes · radical 日 |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise, to get up, to stand up; to begin; to raise; a measure word for cases or incidents10 strokes · radical 走 |
| 还還 | hái · huán | (huán) to give back, to return something, to repay; (hái) still, yet; even more; also, in additiontraditional 還 · 7 strokes · radical 辵 |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think, to reflect; to want to, to would like to; to miss someone13 strokes · radical 心 |
| 看 | kàn · kān | to look at, to watch, to read; to consider, to regard; to visit; to consult (a doctor); (kān) to look after, to keep watch over9 strokes · radical 目 |
| 开開 | kāi | to open; to turn on, to switch on; to start, to begin; to drive (a vehicle); to hold (a meeting)traditional 開 · 4 strokes · radical 廾 |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; a person good at something (歌手 a singer, 选手 a contestant)4 strokes · radical 手 |
| 又 | yòu | again, once more (of what has already happened); and also, moreover; (original sense) the right hand2 strokes · radical 又 |
| 老 | lǎo | old, aged; long-established; (before a verb) always, forever doing something; a familiar or respectful prefix for people6 strokes · radical 老 |
| 长長 | cháng · zhǎng | (cháng) long; length; (zhǎng) to grow, to develop; elder, senior; the head of an organisationtraditional 長 · 4 strokes · radical 長 |
| 知 | zhī | to know, to be aware of, to realise; knowledge; to inform8 strokes · radical 矢 |
| 明 | míng | bright; clear, evident; to understand; next (明天, 明年); the Ming dynasty8 strokes · radical 日 |
| 进進 | jìn | to enter, to go in, to come in; to advance, to make progress; to take in, to importtraditional 進 · 7 strokes · radical 辵 |
| 分 | fēn · fèn | to divide, to separate; a minute; a fraction, a mark out of a hundred; a cent; (fèn) a share, a part, a component4 strokes · radical 刀 |
| 女 | nǚ | woman; female; daughter (in 女儿)3 strokes · radical 女 |
| 力 | lì | strength, power; force; effort2 strokes · radical 力 |
| 关關 | guān | to close, to shut; to turn off; to concern, to involve; a pass, a barrier, a customs posttraditional 關 · 6 strokes · radical 八 |
| 少 | shǎo · shào | few, little; to be short of, to be missing; (shào) young4 strokes · radical 小 |
| 水 | shuǐ | water4 strokes · radical 水 |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk, to go on foot; to leave, to go away; to move, to run (of a machine); to visit7 strokes · radical 走 |
| 口 | kǒu | mouth; an opening or entrance; measure word for members of a household3 strokes · radical 口 |
| 觉覺 | jué · jiào | (jué) to feel, to sense; to become aware, to realise; (jiào) sleep, a spell of sleepingtraditional 覺 · 9 strokes · radical 見 |
| 很 | hěn | very, quite, rather; (originally) to defy, to go against9 strokes · radical 彳 |
| 月 | yuè | moon; month4 strokes · radical 月 |
| 认認 | rèn | to recognise, to identify; to admit, to acknowledge; to accept as inevitabletraditional 認 · 4 strokes · radical 言 |
| 回 | huí | to return, to go back; to turn round; to reply; a time, an occasion (measure word); a chapter of a novel6 strokes · radical 囗 |
| 问問 | wèn | to ask, to inquire; to ask after, to send regards; to question, to interrogatetraditional 問 · 6 strokes · radical 口 |
| 放 | fàng | to put, to place, to lay down; to let go, to release, to set free; to let out, to give a holiday8 strokes · radical 攴 |
| 路 | lù | road, path, way; a route, a bus line; a way of doing something13 strokes · radical 足 |
| 山 | shān | mountain, hill3 strokes · radical 山 |
| 目 | mù | eye; an item or entry in a list (目录 a table of contents)5 strokes · radical 目 |
| 白 | bái | white; clear, plain; in vain, for nothing; Bai, a surname5 strokes · radical 白 |
| 电電 | diàn | electricity; lightning; a telegram; to give an electric shocktraditional 電 · 5 strokes · radical 田 |
| 高 | gāo | tall, high; (of a level, price or standard) high; Gao, a surname10 strokes · radical 高 |
| 名 | míng | name; given name; reputation, famous; measure word for people counted by rank or role6 strokes · radical 口 |
| 教 | jiāo · jiào | (jiāo) to teach, to instruct; (jiào) education, teaching; a religion11 strokes · radical 攴 |
| 语語 | yǔ | language, tongue; speech, words; a sayingtraditional 語 · 9 strokes · radical 言 |
| 火 | huǒ | fire, flame4 strokes · radical 火 |
| 车車 | chē · jū | a wheeled vehicle: cart, car, bicycle, train; a machine turning on a wheel; (jū) the chariot in Chinese chesstraditional 車 · 4 strokes · radical 車 |
| 眼 | yǎn | eye; a look, a glance; a small hole or aperture; measure word for wells and springs11 strokes · radical 目 |
| 让讓 | ràng | to let, to allow; to make or cause someone to do something; to yield, to give way, to give up a seattraditional 讓 · 5 strokes · radical 言 |
| 住 | zhù | to live, to dwell, to stay; to stop, to halt; (as a verb complement) firmly, fast7 strokes · radical 人 |
| 记記 | jì | to record, to write down; to remember, to bear in mind; a note, an account; a marktraditional 記 · 5 strokes · radical 言 |
| 话話 | huà | speech, words, what is said; a language or dialect; to talk abouttraditional 話 · 8 strokes · radical 言 |
| 书書 | shū | book; to write; a letter, a written documenttraditional 書 · 4 strokes · radical 乙 |
| 门門 | mén | door, gate; a doorway; measure word for school subjects and courses (一门课)traditional 門 · 3 strokes · radical 門 |
| 儿兒 | ér | child; son (in 儿子); the retroflex suffix -r written after a nountraditional 兒 · 2 strokes · radical 儿 |
| 字 | zì | a written character; a word in writing; handwriting; a courtesy name6 strokes · radical 子 |
| 识識 | shí · zhì | to know, to recognise; knowledge; (zhì) to record, an inscriptiontraditional 識 · 7 strokes · radical 言 |
| 男 | nán | man, male7 strokes · radical 田 |
| 带帶 | dài | a belt, a sash, a strap, a band; a zone, a region; to carry, to bring, to take along; to lead, to look aftertraditional 帶 · 9 strokes · radical 巾 |
| 石 | shí · dàn | stone, rock; (dàn) a traditional dry measure for grain5 strokes · radical 石 |
| 千 | qiān | thousand; a great many3 strokes · radical 十 |
| 校 | xiào · jiào | school; (jiào) to check against an original, to proofread, to collate10 strokes · radical 木 |
| 爱愛 | ài | to love; to like, to be fond of; love, affectiontraditional 愛 · 10 strokes · radical 心 |
| 城 | chéng | a city wall; a walled city; a city, a town9 strokes · radical 土 |
| 花 | huā | flower, blossom; patterned, multicoloured; to spend (money or time)7 strokes · radical 艸 |
| 请請 | qǐng | please; to ask, to request; to invite; to treat someone (to a meal)traditional 請 · 10 strokes · radical 言 |
| 百 | bǎi | hundred; numerous, all kinds of6 strokes · radical 白 |
| 坐 | zuò | to sit, to be seated; to travel by (a vehicle); (of a building) to face a direction7 strokes · radical 土 |
| 站 | zhàn | to stand, to be on one’s feet; a station, a stop; a post, a station-house10 strokes · radical 立 |
| 写寫 | xiě | to write; to compose; to depict, to describetraditional 寫 · 5 strokes · radical 冖 |
| 读讀 | dú | to read; to read aloud; to study, to attend schooltraditional 讀 · 10 strokes · radical 言 |
| 找 | zhǎo | to look for, to seek; to call on somebody; to give change7 strokes · radical 手 |
| 田 | tián | a field, cultivated land; Tian, a surname5 strokes · radical 田 |
| 换換 | huàn | to exchange, to swap, to trade; to change, to replace; to change (money, clothes, trains)traditional 換 · 10 strokes · radical 手 |
| 园園 | yuán | a garden, an orchard; a plot of ground laid out for a purpose; a parktraditional 園 · 7 strokes · radical 囗 |
| 海 | hǎi | sea, ocean; a great quantity of something10 strokes · radical 水 |
| 医醫 | yī | medicine, the healing art; to treat, to cure; a doctortraditional 醫 · 7 strokes · radical 匚 |
| 病 | bìng | illness, disease; to fall ill; a fault, a defect10 strokes · radical 疒 |
| 房 | fáng | house, building; a room; a branch of a family8 strokes · radical 戶 |
| 拿 | ná | to take, to hold, to pick up; to seize, to capture; with, using (as a preposition)10 strokes · radical 手 |
| 药藥 | yào | medicine, a drug; a herbal remedy; a chemical preparationtraditional 藥 · 9 strokes · radical 艸 |
| 河 | hé | a river; (originally, with a capital) the Yellow River8 strokes · radical 水 |
| 草 | cǎo | grass, straw; rough, careless; a draft, a rough copy; the cursive script9 strokes · radical 艸 |
| 树樹 | shù | a tree; to plant, to set upright; to establish, to cultivatetraditional 樹 · 9 strokes · radical 木 |
| 马馬 | mǎ | horse; Ma, a common surnametraditional 馬 · 3 strokes · radical 馬 |
| 买買 | mǎi | to buy, to purchasetraditional 買 · 6 strokes · radical 乙 |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to take (a meal, medicine); to absorb, to take in6 strokes · radical 口 |
| 朋 | péng | friend, companion (chiefly in 朋友); of the same kind, matched8 strokes · radical 月 |
| 友 | yǒu | friend; friendly, amicable4 strokes · radical 又 |
| 谢謝 | xiè | to thank; thanks; (of flowers) to wither, to fade; Xie, a common surnametraditional 謝 · 12 strokes · radical 言 |
| 飞飛 | fēi | to fly; to flit, to dart; swiftly, at speedtraditional 飛 · 3 strokes · radical 飛 |
| 送 | sòng | to see somebody off, to accompany; to deliver, to send; to give as a present9 strokes · radical 辵 |
| 喜 | xǐ | to like, to be fond of; joy, delight; a happy event, especially a wedding12 strokes · radical 口 |
| 欢歡 | huān | joyous, merry; to be pleased; vigorous, livelytraditional 歡 · 6 strokes · radical 欠 |
| 答 | dá · dā | to answer, to reply; an answer; (dā) to respond to, to agree (in 答应)12 strokes · radical 竹 |
| 忘 | wàng | to forget; to overlook, to leave behind7 strokes · radical 心 |
| 怕 | pà | to fear, to be afraid of; to be afraid that; probably, I dare say8 strokes · radical 心 |
| 卖賣 | mài | to sell; to be on sale; to give one’s all to somethingtraditional 賣 · 8 strokes · radical 十 |
| 累 | lèi · lěi | (lèi) tired, weary; to tire out, to wear out; (lěi) to accumulate, to pile up11 strokes · radical 糸 |
| 跑 | pǎo | to run; to run away, to escape; to run around on business; (of a machine) to run12 strokes · radical 足 |
| 睡 | shuì | to sleep; to lie down to sleep13 strokes · radical 目 |
| 喝 | hē · hè | to drink; (hè) to shout loudly, to call out12 strokes · radical 口 |
| 穿 | chuān | to pierce, to bore through; to pass through, to cross; to wear, to put on (clothes, shoes)9 strokes · radical 穴 |
| 洗 | xǐ | to wash, to bathe; to rinse away; to develop (photographs)9 strokes · radical 水 |
| 借 | jiè | to borrow; to lend; to make use of, to take (an opportunity)10 strokes · radical 人 |
| 桥橋 | qiáo | a bridgetraditional 橋 · 10 strokes · radical 木 |
| 店 | diàn | a shop, a store; an inn8 strokes · radical 广 |
| 院 | yuàn | a courtyard, a walled compound; an institution housed in one — a hospital, a college, a cinema9 strokes · radical 阜 |
| 室 | shì | a room, a chamber; an office or department within an institution9 strokes · radical 宀 |
| 妈媽 | mā | mother, mum (chiefly in 妈妈); a form of address for an older married womantraditional 媽 · 6 strokes · radical 女 |
| 姐 | jiě | elder sister; a young woman (in 小姐)8 strokes · radical 女 |
| 妹 | mèi | younger sister8 strokes · radical 女 |
| 爸 | bà | father, dad (chiefly in 爸爸)8 strokes · radical 父 |
| 戴 | dài | to put on or wear on the head or body (a hat, glasses, a watch, gloves); to bear, to support17 strokes · radical 戈 |
| 刀 | dāo | knife, blade; a sword2 strokes · radical 刀 |
| 鸟鳥 | niǎo | birdtraditional 鳥 · 5 strokes · radical 鳥 |
| 耳 | ěr | ear6 strokes · radical 耳 |