Write it with a brush: New Year greetings, stroke by stroke
Pick a New Year greeting. Watch how each stroke is written, then trace it with your finger or a mouse. When you are done, send it on red paper or print a practice sheet for children or a class.
Happy New YearXīn Nián Kuài Lè · 31 strokesWishing you prosperityGōng Xǐ Fā Cái · 34 strokesMay everything go as you wishWàn Shì Rú Yì · 30 strokesWishing you good healthShēn Tǐ Jiàn Kāng · 35 strokesMay your wishes come trueXīn Xiǎng Shì Chéng · 31 strokesAbundance year after yearNián Nián Yǒu Yú · 25 strokesPeace and safety, year after yearSuì Suì Píng ān · 23 strokesHappiness to the whole familyHé Jiā Xìng Fú · 44 strokesGreat luck and great gainDà Jí Dà Lì · 19 strokesThe vigour of a dragon-horseLóng Mǎ Jīng Shén · 31 strokes
The strokes, by name
Chinese characters are built from a handful of basic strokes; the longer ones join two or three of them without lifting the brush. These are all the strokes in the ten greetings here.
- Horizontal (héng, 横)
- Left to right, rising very slightly
- Vertical (shù, 竖)
- Top to bottom
- Left-falling (piě, 撇)
- Down and to the left, lifting the brush as you go
- Right-falling (nà, 捺)
- Down and to the right, pressing harder, then lift to a point
- Dot (diǎn, 点)
- A short press, usually down to the right
- Rising (tí, 提)
- A quick flick up to the right
- Horizontal-turn (héng zhé, 横折)
- Left to right, then turn sharply down
- Horizontal then left-falling (héng piě, 横撇)
- Left to right, then sweep down to the left
- Horizontal hook (héng gōu, 横钩)
- Left to right, then a small hook down to the left
- Horizontal-turn-hook (héng zhé gōu, 横折钩)
- Right, turn down, and end with a hook to the left
- Horizontal-turn-curve (héng zhé wān, 横折弯)
- Right, turn down, then curve away to the right
- Horizontal, turn, turn, left-falling (héng zhé zhé piě, 横折折撇)
- Right, down to the left, right again, then sweep down to the left
- Vertical hook (shù gōu, 竖钩)
- Top to bottom, then a small hook up to the left
- Vertical then rising (shù tí, 竖提)
- Top to bottom, then flick up to the right
- Vertical-turn (shù zhé, 竖折)
- Top to bottom, then turn right
- Vertical-curve-hook (shù wān gōu, 竖弯钩)
- Down, curve right along the bottom, then hook up
- Vertical, turn, turn, hook (shù zhé zhé gōu, 竖折折钩)
- Down, right, down again, ending with a hook
- Slanting hook (xié gōu, 斜钩)
- A long slant down to the right, then hook up
- Lying hook (wò gōu, 卧钩)
- A shallow curve to the right along the bottom, then hook up to the left
- Curved hook (wān gōu, 弯钩)
- Down in a gentle curve, then a small hook to the left
- Left-falling then turn (piě zhé, 撇折)
- Down to the left, then turn up to the right
- Left-falling then dot (piě diǎn, 撇点)
- Down to the left, then press down to the right
The order follows a few rules: horizontal before vertical, left-falling before right-falling, top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside (then close the box), and the middle before the two sides.
Stroke shapes and order from Make Me a Hanzi, as packaged by Hanzi Writer, used under the Arphic Public License. Stroke names checked by hand, character by character.