Characters
Three ways into written Chinese
Build a foundation with whole characters, discover useful relationships in combined forms, then look beyond the everyday set when curiosity leads you there.
Start with a whole unit
Learn basic characters as complete shapes before component clues.
Open Building Blocks →02 · CHARACTER FAMILIES清See meaning and sound clues
Compare real component roles, including left/right, top/bottom, enclosure and repeated structures.
Open Character Families →03 · RARE & COMPLEX龘Look beyond the everyday
Explore common-complex and rare forms without treating rarity as a beginner goal.
Open Rare & Complex →