Stroke Order Practice
See how to write any Chinese character, stroke by stroke — watch the animation, then trace it yourself in quiz mode. Type one character or a whole word. Free, works on desktop and touch.
Why stroke order matters
Every Chinese character is written with a fixed sequence and direction of strokes. Following it makes your handwriting faster and more legible, helps characters look balanced, and — because the order is consistent — actually makes characters easier to remember. This tool animates the correct order for any character and then lets you trace it yourself, so you build good habits from the very first attempt.
The basic strokes
Almost every character is made from a handful of basic stroke types:
| Stroke | Name | Pinyin | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | 横 héng | horizontal | left → right |
| 丨 | 竖 shù | vertical | top → bottom |
| 丿 | 撇 piě | left-falling | top-right → bottom-left |
| ㇏ | 捺 nà | right-falling | top-left → bottom-right |
| 丶 | 点 diǎn | dot | short press |
| ㇀ | 提 tí | rising | bottom-left → top-right |
| 𠃌 | 折 zhé | turning | bends mid-stroke |
| 亅 | 钩 gōu | hook | ends with a hook |
The stroke order rules
- Top to bottom — write upper strokes first (三).
- Left to right — write left strokes first (川).
- Horizontal before vertical when they cross (十).
- Outside before inside — frame first (月).
- Inside before sealing — fill an enclosure, then close it (回, 国).
- Centre before sides in symmetric characters (小, 水).
- Left-falling before right-falling (人, 文).
Press Animate on any character above to see these rules in action, then Practice to write it yourself.
Frequently asked questions
How do I learn Chinese stroke order?
Type a character above and press Animate to watch the correct stroke sequence and direction, then press Practice to write it yourself with live feedback. Correct stroke order makes characters faster to write and easier to remember.
Can I practise whole words?
Yes — enter several characters and each one gets its own animated, practiseable grid.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. In Practice mode you write with your finger or stylus, just like on paper.