Sometimes, one Chinese character may have multiple pronunciations and meanings. For example, the character \u597d<\/a> you may already know means \u2018good\u2019 with the h\u01ceo<\/a> pronunciation. However, this character has a second, although less common pronunciation, h\u00e0o<\/a>. If you are reading Chinese, how do you know whether the character is the h\u01ceo or the h\u00e0o version of the character? Most of the time, the answer simply lies in the context or nature of the conversation. For characters like this, when one pronunciation is used much more than the other, the context of the conversation would allow you to choose the h\u01ceo<\/a> pronunciation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if you were to see this sentence, \u8fd9\u79cd\u83dc\u5f88\u597d\u5403<\/a>\u3002(zh\u00e8 zh\u01d2ng c\u00e0i h\u011bn h\u01ceo ch\u012b.) it would be pretty difficult to mistake the pronunciation or meaning as h\u00e0o, meaning \u2018to be fond\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, there are also characters that have 2 or more pronunciations that are frequently used, and context may not be sufficient enough to know which pronunciation to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at the character \u8fd8<\/a>. \u8fd8<\/a> has two pronunciations and two meanings. The first pronunciation is (h\u00e1i<\/a>) meaning \u2018still\u2019 and (hu\u00e1n<\/a>), meaning \u2018to return\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have learned this character, you may know some of the common ways in which the character can be found in a sentence. In the sentence below, for example, the \u8fd8<\/a> (hu\u00e1n) character is followed by \u7ed9<\/a> (g\u011bi) meaning \u2018to give\u2019. Even if you have never learned this combination of characters before, you might be able to guess what \u8fd8\u7ed9<\/a> (hu\u00e1n g\u011bi) means, if \u8fd8<\/a> (hu\u00e1n) is \u2018to return\u2019 and \u7ed9<\/a> (g\u011bi) is \u2018to give\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u7ed9\u5979\u6253\u5f00\u95e8\u9501\uff0c\u5e76\u628a\u94a5\u5319\u4ea4<\/a>\u8fd8\u7ed9<\/a>\u4e86\u5979<\/a>\u3002(t\u0101 g\u011bi t\u0101 d\u01ce k\u0101i m\u00e9n su\u01d2, b\u00ecng b\u01ce y\u00e0o shi ji\u0101o hu\u00e1n g\u011bi le t\u0101.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n He unlocked her car door, and gave her back the key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd8\u7ed9<\/a> (hu\u00e1n g\u011bi) is an example of a 2 character combination that we call a bigram. Bigrams can be found in many languages, including English. They can be letters or words that are commonly found together to create a specific sound or meaning. In this case, the bigram \u8fd8\u7ed9<\/a> (hu\u00e1n g\u011bi) means \u2018to give back\u2019. It would be less likely (although not impossible) to find the \u8fd8<\/a> (h\u00e1i) pronunciation of the character in proximity to the \u7ed9<\/a> (g\u011bi) character especially based on the context of the sentence. Deciding which character to choose in this case is a combination of context and learning bigrams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning bigrams instead of struggling with single characters is a way in which you can learn to distinguish between characters that look very similar. There are some characters that just plain look alike. They may have an extra line, or an additional sticky-out bit, but to the beginner, they can quickly be mistaken for the wrong character. This is why learning bigrams, especially as a beginner of the Chinese language, can reduce such mistakes, because you are not focusing on one single character, but on the common 2 character combination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you get stuck when reading a character in a sentence look to the next character. If you\u2019re studying bigrams, chances are the second character will remind you of the first character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below are some examples of character that look similar, but because of the common bigrams that they are found in, will make it easier to tell them apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this next section, I will refer to specific character \u2018strokes\u2019 or lines that are used when writing characters. You may wish to refer back to our article, Chinese Character Strokes<\/a>, but here is a quick review of the ones I will mention most often:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6a2a<\/a> (h\u00e9ng) – horizontal line<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u7ad6<\/a> (sh\u00f9) – vertical line<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6487<\/a> (pi\u011b) – downward curving stroke to the left<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u637a<\/a> (n\u00e0) – downward curving stroke to the right<\/p>\n\n\n\n Difference: The balance of these characters is slightly different, as the \u5200<\/a> (d\u0101o) character is larger and takes up the whole \u2018space\u2019. The \u6a2a<\/a> (h\u00e9ng) stroke of the \u529b<\/a> (l\u00ec) character should begin lower, allowing for the downward curving stroke, known as \u6487<\/a> (pi\u011b), to begin above the horizontal stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of \u529b<\/a> (l\u00ec):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u52aa\u529b<\/a> (n\u01d4 l\u00ec) – to try hard<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u538b\u529b<\/a> (y\u0101 l\u00ec) – pressure<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of \u5200<\/a> (d\u0101o):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5200\u5b50<\/a> (d\u0101o zi) – knife<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u526a\u5200<\/a> (ji\u01cen d\u0101o) – scissors<\/p>\n\n\n\n Difference: The tip of the vertical stroke on the \u725b<\/a> (ni\u00fa) character, known as \u7ad6<\/a> (sh\u00f9), begins slightly above the first horizontal stroke, \u6a2a<\/a> (h\u00e9ng).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5348<\/a> (w\u01d4) is rarely used on its own, and often found in time phrases like in the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of \u5348<\/a> (w\u01d4):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0b\u5348<\/a> (xi\u00e0 w\u01d4) – afternoon<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4e0a\u5348<\/a> (sh\u00e0ng w\u01d4) – morning<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of \u725b<\/a> (ni\u00fa):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u725b\u8089<\/a> (ni\u00fa r\u00f2u) – beef<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u725b\u5976<\/a> (ni\u00fa n\u01cei) – cow\u2019s milk<\/p>\n\n\n\n Difference: Two of the more difficult characters to distinguish between, \u5df2<\/a> (y\u01d0) and \u5df1<\/a> (j\u01d0) are almost identical apart from a tiny extra line in the \u5df2<\/a> (y\u01d0) character. The \u7ad6<\/a> (sh\u00f9) stroke begins above the second horizontal stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of \u5df2<\/a> (y\u01d0):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5df2\u7ecf<\/a> (y\u01d0 j\u012bng) – already<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u65e9\u5df2<\/a> (z\u01ceo y\u01d0) – a long time ago<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of \u5df1<\/a> (j\u01d0):<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u81ea\u5df1<\/a> z\u00ec j\u01d0 – oneself<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u77e5\u5df1<\/a> zh\u012b j\u01d0 – to know oneself<\/p>\n\n\n\n With some characters, creating mnemonics can help with distinguishing between similar looking characters. A mnemonic can be a story or pattern of letters that can help you to remember something longer or more complex. A Chinese character mnemonic can help remind you of as many elements of the character as you want, meaning, tone, pronunciation etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A simple mnemonic to distinguish between \u4e70<\/a> (m\u01cei) and \u5356<\/a> (m\u00e0i) is that if you \u2018sell\u2019 \u5356<\/a> (m\u00e0i) something you will receive money (maybe ten \u5341<\/a> (sh\u00ed) ?). The character \u5341<\/a> (sh\u00ed) can be seen added to the top of the \u4e70<\/a> (m\u01cei) character to make \u5356<\/a> (m\u00e0i).<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can apply a mnemonic to any character to remember it. You can visit our Online Dictionary<\/a> and view existing mnemonics or even post your own ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Radicals are the \u2018building blocks\u2019<\/a> of Chinese characters. They are most often on the bottom or the left side, and indicate the \u2018meaning\u2019 of a character. For example, the character \u53e3<\/a> (k\u01d2u) is also used as a radical and means \u2018mouth\u2019. Therefore, the radical \u53e3<\/a> (k\u01d2u) is often found in words that relate to the mouth, such as \u53eb<\/a> (ji\u00e0o), meaning to shout or \u5403<\/a> (ch\u012b) meaning to eat. In order to learn Chinese characters properly, it\u2019s a good idea to start acclimatizing yourself with some of the basic radicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can learn about some of the more common Radicals here<\/a>. You can find the radicals for all the characters you learn by checking them in the Written Chinese Dictionary<\/a>. Just search for the character and you will a \u2018Radical Breakdown\u2019 for that character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Radicals can be one of the best ways to distinguish between Chinese characters, especially as the right hand side of the character often refers to (but not always) the pronunciation of a character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at these characters for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both characters contain the same part: \u620b<\/a> (ji\u0101n). It would be very easy to mix up these characters, if you did not pay attention to their specific radicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both characters, \u7ebf<\/a> (xi\u00e0n) and \u94b1<\/a> (qi\u00e1n) , take their pronunciation from \u620b<\/a> (ji\u0101n) that we see on the right hand side. The meaning of the first character \u7ebf<\/a> (xi\u00e0n), is \u2018line\u2019 or \u2018thread\u2019 and is dictated by the radical on the left hand side, \u7e9f(s\u012b), which represents a bolt of silk. The second character, \u94b1<\/a> (qi\u00e1n), has the radical for \u2018gold\u2019 ,\u9485(j\u012bn) which tells us that the meaning of the character is \u2018money\u2019 or \u2018coins\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some other examples of characters that look alike, but can be differentiated by their radicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The character \u54ea<\/a> (n\u01ce) features the \u53e3<\/a> (k\u01d2u) radical, meaning mouth. The \u53e3<\/a> (k\u01d2u) radical, as mentioned above, is often used for characters relating to the mouth. It is also used in some question words including \u5417<\/a> (ma) and \u54ea<\/a> (n\u01ce).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The right hand part of the character is \u826e (g\u00e8n) and provides the pronunciation for \u773c<\/a> (y\u01cen) and \u8ddf<\/a> (g\u0113n). The radical for the \u773c<\/a> (y\u01cen) character is \u76ee<\/a> (m\u00f9), meaning eye. The radical found in the \u8ddf<\/a> (g\u0113n) character is \u8db3<\/a> (z\u00fa) or foot. The foot radical is used here because the full meaning of \u8ddf<\/a> (g\u0113n) is \u2018close behind\u2019 or the \u2018heel\u2019 of a foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to test your character recognition, complete these simple exercises and we\u2019ll post the answers later!<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Learn Chinese Characters With Bigrams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u529b<\/a>\/\u5200<\/a> (l\u00ec\/d\u0101o) power\/ knife<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"1\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/1-e1466158958266.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u5348<\/a>\/\u725b<\/a> (w\u01d4\/ ni\u00fa) 11 a.m.-1 p.m\/ cow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"2\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/2-e1466158896372.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u5df2<\/a>\/\u5df1<\/a> (y\u01d0\/ j\u01d0) already\/ self<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"3\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/3-e1466158756421.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHow to Learn Chinese Characters with Mnemonics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u4e70<\/a>\/\u5356<\/a> (m\u01cei \/ m\u00e0i) buy \/ sell<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"mai\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/mai-e1466158635503.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHow to Learn Chinese Characters with Radicals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u7ebf<\/a>\/\u94b1<\/a> (xi\u00e0n\/qi\u00e1n) line\/money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"xian\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/xian-e1466158526941.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u90a3<\/a>\/\u54ea<\/a> (n\u00e0\/n\u01ce) that\/how<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"6\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/6-e1466158135453.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\u773c<\/a>\/\u8ddf<\/a> (y\u01cen\/g\u0113n) eye\/with<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"7\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/7-e1466157665510.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nExercises<\/h2>\n\n\n\n