Browse "DailyRoutines" Characters

Every character has an origin. Discover the pictographs, myths, and history behind each Chinese character — with pinyin, stroke order, HSK level, and audio pronunciation.

pèi

Born from ancient wine rituals, 配 embodies China

Though it looks like 'big' (大) walking (辶), 达 d

退

tuì

Born from an oracle-bone image of a foot backing a

yàn

This 'glamorous' character hides a harvest secret:

xún

Born from ancient ritual consultation, 询 looks li

shè

Though only 6 strokes, 设 hides ancient bureaucrac

This ‘honey’ character hides a bee inside — and

kuī

Three strokes that look like a cracked foundation

Its tiger-head radical warns that emptiness isn’t

miáo

This 'sprout' character grew into the name of Chin

jiān

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

This character began as a pictograph of a person l

bǎng

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

zhān

This 'glue' character hides rice paste in its 米 r