HanziWise Blog

Practical, example-driven tutorials for learning to write Chinese characters.

Chinese Stroke Order Rules: 9 Rules Every Beginner Should Know

Learn the 9 Chinese stroke order rules with real example characters (十, 人, 三, 国). Write correctly from day one with free animated practice.

2026-09-25

How to Write Chinese Characters: A Complete Beginner Path

A step-by-step path to write Chinese characters for beginners: basic strokes, stroke order, practice grids, and a 15-minute daily routine that sticks.

2026-09-25

What Is Tian Zi Ge? The Grid Chinese Kids Learn to Write With

Tian Zi Ge (田字格) is the crossed grid every Chinese child learns to write in. Learn how its four quadrants fix your stroke placement and proportions.

2026-09-25

Mi Zi Ge vs Tian Zi Ge vs Hui Gong Ge: Which Practice Grid When?

Mi Zi Ge, Tian Zi Ge, Hui Gong Ge and plain squares compared — what each Chinese writing grid trains, and which one fits your current stage.

2026-09-25

The 15-Minute Chinese Writing Practice Routine That Actually Sticks

A daily Chinese writing practice routine: trace, half-trace, then write from memory. 15 minutes, 5 characters a day, with printable progressive worksheets.

2026-09-25

How to Remember Chinese Characters: 3 Methods That Work Together

Remember Chinese characters with component decomposition, story mnemonics, and spaced repetition — with concrete examples like 好 = 女 + 子 and 明 = 日 + 月.

2026-09-25

How Many Chinese Characters Do You Need to Know? (Real Numbers)

How many Chinese characters do you need for conversation, reading, HSK, and fluency? Real coverage numbers for 500, 1000 and 2500 characters.

2026-09-25

Simplified vs Traditional Chinese: Which Should You Learn?

Simplified vs traditional Chinese characters: what changed, where each is used, how different they really are, and which one you should learn first.

2026-09-25

The 100 Most Common Chinese Characters (With Stroke Order)

The 100 most common Chinese characters with pinyin, stroke counts, and links to animated stroke order and printable worksheets for each one.

2026-09-25

How to Type Chinese Characters on Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android

Type Chinese characters with pinyin input: setup steps for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, plus typing tricks like 女 = nv and full-phrase input.

2026-09-25