Type any Chinese character to see how it is written: an animation draws each stroke in order, a numbered sequence shows every step, and practice mode checks your own strokes as you draw them. Turn the same characters into a printable tian zi ge (田字格) practice sheet.
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Stroke 0 of 0
Stroke-by-stroke sequence
Click a box to jump to that stroke. The red stroke is the one added in that step.
Draw stroke 1
Write each stroke in the correct order and direction. A wrong stroke is rejected; correct strokes snap into place.
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How to use the Chinese Stroke Order
Type or paste Chinese characters (for example 你好) and press Show stroke order. Each character gets its own button.
Watch the animation, or use Prev stroke and Next stroke to go one stroke at a time. Click any box in the sequence to jump to that step.
Open Practice and draw each stroke in the writing box, in order and in the right direction. Missed strokes are flashed as a hint.
Open Print grid, choose the grid style, boxes per row and number of traceable copies, then press Print worksheet or download it.
The rules of Chinese stroke order
Thousands of characters follow a handful of rules. Once you know them, you can usually guess the order of a new character before you look it up, and the animation above confirms it.
Rule
Example
How it is written
Top before bottom
三
The three horizontals go from the top down.
Left before right
川, 你
Strokes and components on the left come first; in 你 the 亻 radical comes before 尔.
Horizontal before vertical
十
When strokes cross, the horizontal usually comes first.
Left-falling before right-falling
人, 八
The sweep to the lower left (撇) comes before the sweep to the lower right (捺).
Outside before inside
月, 同
Draw the frame first, then fill it.
Inside before closing
国, 日
For a full box, draw the left side and the top-right corner, fill the inside, then close the bottom: "enter the room, then shut the door".
Middle before sides
小, 水
In symmetric characters, the central stroke comes before the strokes on either side.
Bottom-left enclosures last
这, 建
The 辶 and 廴 components that wrap around the bottom are written after what they hold.
Small dots last
我, 犬
A dot that sits on the upper right is often the final stroke.
The basic strokes
Every character is built from a small set of stroke types. Their Chinese names are useful when a teacher or textbook describes a character stroke by stroke.
Stroke
Pinyin
Meaning
Direction
Found in
横
héng
horizontal
left to right
一, 二
竖
shù
vertical
top to bottom
十, 中
撇
piě
left-falling sweep
top right to lower left
人, 八
捺
nà
right-falling sweep
top left to lower right, widening
人, 大
点
diǎn
dot
short press down and to the right
六, 主
提
tí
rising stroke
lower left up to the right
地, 打
折
zhé
turn
one stroke that changes direction, such as horizontal then down
口, 日
钩
gōu
hook
a small flick at the end of a stroke
小, 水
The character 永 ("forever") is the traditional teaching example: its five strokes contain the eight basic stroke techniques, known as the Eight Principles of Yong (永字八法).
Tips for learning to write characters
Learn components, not just characters. 你, 他 and 们 all start with the same 亻 radical; turn on "Color the radical" to see it.
Count strokes out loud. Knowing the stroke count helps you find characters in paper dictionaries and spot a missing stroke.
Trace, then copy, then recall. On the printed sheet, trace the faded copies first, then write from memory in the empty boxes.
Use the grid lines. In a 田 grid, the center lines show where components meet; most characters fill about 80% of the square.
Short daily sessions work best. Writing a few characters every day sticks better than one long session a week.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Chinese stroke order matter?
Writing strokes in the standard order makes characters balanced and legible, makes handwriting faster because each stroke flows into the next, and helps you remember characters. It also matters for handwriting input on phones and for reading cursive or semi-cursive script, where the order shapes how strokes connect.
What are the basic rules of Chinese stroke order?
The main rules are: top before bottom, left before right, horizontal before vertical when they cross (十), left-falling before right-falling (人), outside before inside (月), finish the inside before closing the bottom of an enclosure (国), the middle before the two sides in symmetric characters (小), and enclosing strokes along the bottom such as 辶 last.
Does it work for traditional Chinese characters?
Yes. The stroke data covers both simplified and traditional characters, so 龍, 學 and 謝 work as well as 龙, 学 and 谢. The order follows the mainland Chinese standard; Taiwan and Hong Kong school standards differ for a small number of characters, so follow your textbook if your teacher marks a difference.
Can I use this for Japanese kanji?
Many kanji share the same shape and order as Chinese characters, so the tool is often helpful, but Japanese school stroke order differs for some characters and some kanji have Japanese-only simplified forms. For kanji homework, use a Japanese source as the final reference.
How does the practice mode check my writing?
Each stroke you draw is compared with the expected stroke's shape, position and direction. If it matches, it snaps into place; if not, it is rejected and counted as a mistake. After the number of misses you choose, the correct stroke flashes as a hint. Choose Never for a strict test.
What is a tian zi ge grid?
Tian zi ge (田字格) is the practice paper used in Chinese schools: each square is split into four by dashed center lines, like the character 田, so you can place each stroke in the right part of the square. The mi zi ge (米字格) version adds two diagonals, which helps with slanted strokes.
Is anything uploaded or stored?
No text is sent anywhere. The page downloads the public stroke data file for the characters you type, and your practice best scores are saved only in your own browser.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.