How to write Chinese Characters The written form of the Chinese language consists of by characters, which have a long standing of history. The earliest known examples of Chinese writing were found on Neolithic pottery wares, which existed between 8000 and 5000 BC. The primitive forms of Chinese writing closely resemble the later forms of writing, which became more abstract.

Chinese people, though speaking different dialects, use the same writing form—characters. However, there are two writing systems for characters. Since the mid-1950s,simplified characters have been used by in the People’s Republic of China and Singapore. People in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and many overseas areas continue to use the original form of characters which are called traditional characters

The total number of Chinese characters is estimated at more than 50,000, of which only about 5,000 are in common use, and about 2,000 are needed for daily life. Each character is placed in a square and stands for a meaningful syllable. The basic elements of writing characters include strokes, radicals, and the stroke order.

Character Strokes Chinese characters are made up of strokes, each of which is a single unbroken line.

Stroke Order Strokes of a character should be written in certain orders. Some strokes should be written prior to others. Learning to write characters according to the stroke order helps you remember characters better and write faster. There are eight basic rules for the stroke order.