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.

竭

jié

This 'exhaust' character doesn’t slump — it stan

窃

qiè

This 'stealing' character hides in a cave (穴) —

窍

qiào

Though it means 'hole,' 窍 never refers to a rando

窜

cuàn

A cave (穴) + beads on a string (串) — visually e

窝

wō

This 'nest' character hides a fruit inside its cav

穴

xué

This 5-stroke character began as a dot inside a ca

颖

yǐng

A grain's sharp awn became China's favorite metaph

谷

gǔ

This 'valley' character is also 'grain' — because

稿

gǎo

Though it means ‘manuscript,’ 稿’s 禾 (grain) r

稼

jià

This 'sowing' character hides a 'home' inside — n

稻

dào

Its right side looks like 'island' (岛), but it’s

稠

chóu

Born from packed grain stalks in ancient bronze sc

稚

zhì

This 'infantile' character hides a farming secret:

稀

xī

Born from ancient fields where grain stalks stood

秤

chēng

This 'scale' character hides a grain of truth: its

秃

tū

Though it uses the 'grain' radical 禾, 秃 has noth

禽

qín

Its radical 禸 — one of Chinese's rarest — depic

祸

huò

This 'disaster' isn’t random—it’s divine paybac

祥

xiáng

This 'auspicious' character hides a sheep sacrific

祖

zǔ

This ‘ancestor’ character began as a carved ston

磨

mó

This 16-stroke stone-radical character began as a

砖

zhuān

Though made of clay, this character wears the ‘st

磕

kē

This 'tap' character began as a stone slamming ont

磋

cuō

Born as a pictograph of polishing antlers with sto

磅

bàng

This 'scale' character hides a thunderous origin:

磁

cí

This 'magnetic' character hides a poetic ancient m

碳

tàn

This 'carbon' character was invented in the 1800s

碑

bēi

This 'monument' character hides a humble origin: i