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.

纬

wěi

This 'latitude' character began as a weaving term

缘

yuán

Originally a silk thread flowing from a spring, 缘

缔

dì

Originally a pictograph of silk threads knotted at

缉

jī

This 'seize' character hides a silk thread — lite

缀

zhuì

Born as a pictograph of needle-and-silk, 缀 evolve

绑

bǎng

Its right side hides 邦 (‘state’) — revealing t

绒

róng

Though it means 'velvet,' 绒 originated as a word

绅

shēn

This character began as a pictograph of a silk sas

纺

fǎng

This 7-stroke character hides a Bronze Age loom di

纽

niǔ

Born as a bronze-age silk knot, 纽 doesn’t just m

纹

wén

This character began as a drawing of silk threads

紊

wěn

This 'involved' character isn’t about participati

纠

jiū

Born as a bronze-age image of twisted threads, 纠

粹

cuì

Born from rice-processing, 粹 doesn’t mean ‘pure

粥

zhōu

This 12-stroke character looks like simmering rice

粒

lì

Born as a rice kernel with a dot, it evolved into

粉

fěn

Originally 'rice divided into finest particles,'

笼

lóng

This 'cage' character hides a dragon — not mythic

筹

chóu

This 'chip' character began as sacred bamboo rods

簸

bǒ

A 19-stroke bamboo basket throwing grain skyward

篷

péng

This ‘sail’ character is built from bamboo + a m

筛

shāi

This bamboo-basket character evolved from ancient

箭

jiàn

Born as a bamboo-shafted projectile in oracle bone

策

cè

This 'policy' character began as bamboo strips ins

筒

tǒng

This 'tube' character began as a bamboo cross-sect

筐

kuāng

Originally a bronze-age pictograph of interwoven b

筋

jīn

Though it means 'muscle', 筋 originally depicted t

端

duān

This character began as a ritualist standing tall