Browse "HSK6" 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.

巡

xún

This 6-stroke character began as a Bronze Age imag

州

zhōu

Originally a pictograph of islands rising between

川

chuān

This 3-stroke character began as a bird’s-eye vie

崭

zhǎn

This 'towering' character hides a blade: its right

嵌

qiàn

Though it looks like a mountain, 嵌 is all about p

崩

bēng

Originally a pictograph of a mountain shattering,

岗

gǎng

Though it means 'hillock', 岗 is almost never used

崖

yá

This character’s 11 strokes visually reenact a cl

崇

chóng

Originally a sacred mountain shrine in bronze scri

峡

xiá

Born as 'mountains gripping' in ancient script, 峡

峻

jùn

Its seal-script origin shows a climber straining u

峰

fēng

Though it means 'peak', 峰’s right side is 丰 (f

峭

qiào

This 'steep' character hides a stone-carving spoon

岳

yuè

A mountain-shaped character that doesn’t mean mou

岩

yán

Though it looks like ‘mountain + strict’, 岩 was

岔

chà

This mountain-rooted character doesn’t just mean

履

lu:3

This 'shoe' character evolved from an oracle bone

屡

lu:3

Though it looks like 'two bells over a corpse,' 屡

屑

xiè

This 'crumb' character hides a moral punch: its an

屏

bǐng

This 'door-shutting' character (户 + forceful top)

屁

pì

This 7-stroke character began as a Bronze Age pict

尸

shī

This 3-stroke character began as a living person s

尬

gà

This 7-stroke character began as a picture of a li

尖

jiān

It looks like 'small above, big below' — but that

寺

sì

This ‘temple’ character began as a Han Dynasty g

寸

cùn

Originally a thumb-width mark on the wrist, this 3

审

shěn

This 'examine' character hides a courtroom under i

寝

qǐn

This 'sleep' character began as a person lying fac

宵

xiāo

This ‘night’ character hides a rooftop full of s

宰

zǎi

This 10-stroke character began as a Bronze Age pic

宙

zhòu

This 'eternity' character isn’t abstract — it’s

宗

zōng

Originally a roof-sheltered ancestral altar, 宗 ev

宏

hóng

This 'great' character hides in plain sight — its

宇

yǔ

Though it means 'room,' 宇 has never been about fo

宅

zhái

This elegant 6-stroke character began as a Bronze

孤

gū

This 'lone' character was once how kings humbly ad

孔

kǒng

This 'hole' character hides Confucius himself — e

婴

yīng

This 'infant' character began as a picture of a ri

娇

jiāo

Born from 'woman' + 'elevated elegance', 娇 isn't

嫌

xián

This 'dislike' character hides a woman holding two