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.

艰

jiān

Though it looks like 'again' (又) stacked atop 'so

良

liáng

Originally an ancient pictograph of a clear, perce

舅

jiù

This 'maternal uncle' character hides a 3,000-year

臭

chòu

Originally meant 'scent' — neutral and even poeti

临

lín

Originally a pictograph of someone standing atop a

卧

wò

This character began as a pictograph of a person l

胆

dǎn

This character looks like 'flesh + dawn' — and fo

胶

jiāo

Born from boiled ox tendons, this ‘flesh-radical

膀

bǎng

It’s not just 'arm' — it’s the meaty upper segm

肠

cháng

This 7-stroke character began as a wiggly pictogra

腰

yāo

Originally a bronze-age pictograph of a person's c

腐

fǔ

This 'decay' character hides a Bronze Age horror s

脖

bó

Born in street slang, not ancient bronzes — this

脆

cuì

A ‘flesh’ radical + ‘sudden end’ symbol — thi

胁

xié

This character began as a Bronze Age drawing of ha

胸

xiōng

This character literally means 'chest'—but in Chi

胡

hú

This 'non-Han' character evolved from naming real

背

bēi

This character began as a pictograph of a person s

胃

wèi

This 'stomach' character began as a bronze-age pou

肩

jiān

This character began as a 3,000-year-old oracle bo

股

gǔ

From ancient bronze inscriptions depicting a crouc

肌

jī

Though it means 'muscle,' 肌 never stands alone —

肃

sù

This 'respectful' character began as a kneeling pe

耽

dān

Its top-radical 耳 (ear) isn't about hearing — it

翅

chì

This 'wing' character hides a secret: its right si

群

qún

This 'group' character hides a royal shepherd: its

骂

mà

Its top isn’t a net — it’s a cage for your word

罚

fá

Its top radical 罒 isn’t a net for fish — it’s