{"id":8924,"date":"2018-07-20T16:31:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T08:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writtenchinese.com\/?p=8924"},"modified":"2022-05-12T22:10:26","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T14:10:26","slug":"how-to-read-chinese-characters-a-beginners-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writtenchinese.com\/how-to-read-chinese-characters-a-beginners-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Read Chinese Characters: A Beginner’s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It will only take [est_time] to read this post!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning to read Chinese characters is something that many students of Chinese, who often just begin learning to speak, are reluctant to show interest in. I was one of those \u2018students\u2019 if I can even call myself that, who started to learn Chinese out of necessity. Once I got over the idea that learning to read Chinese was impossible, I realized how much easier my life had become in China, and how liberating it was to read even just a handful of Chinese characters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, no one\u2019s suggesting it\u2019s an \u2018easy\u2019 journey. There are plenty of avenues to go down before being able to read, and below are some of the \u2018stages\u2019 you might want to visit while learning to read Chinese characters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before starting to read, you need to decide whether you\u2019ll learn to read simplified or traditional Chinese characters. The chances are that you\u2019ll automatically choose to learn simplified characters since this is the written language used in mainland China. After all, they are \u2018simplified.\u2019 However, don\u2019t forget to take a look at traditional characters<\/a>, especially later down the line.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First…<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNDERSTAND HOW CHARACTERS WORK<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let me take you back to 2011 when I first arrived in China. I had no intention of learning to read Chinese characters because back then, written Chinese looked like this:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Zip to several (too many) years later, when I eventually allowed myself to be introduced to the idea of Chinese characters. Below, I will outline a few \u2018steps\u2019 you can go through to start recognizing and reading Chinese characters. But for now, I\u2019m going to establish some general \u2018rules\u2019 for reading a Chinese character.<\/span>

Chinese characters are pictures<\/b><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese characters are made up of small pictures on an elementary level, some literal while others are quite abstract.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chinese characters can be \u2018broken down\u2019 into separate parts<\/b><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned above, Chinese characters are made up of small pictures that make a full character. These \u2018separate parts\u2019 each have their own meaning or pronunciation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The separate parts have their own meaning<\/b><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In every character, there is at least one \u2018part\u2019 that suggests the \u2018meaning\u2019 of a character. Sometimes, there is more than one\u2019 part\u2019 of a Chinese character that suggests meaning, and these are often part of a more complex and abstract idea.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One \u2018part\u2019 provides pronunciation<\/b><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least one\u2019 part\u2019 of a character helps the reader know how to speak the character. This \u2018part\u2019 is often on the right-hand side of a character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Balance is important in a character<\/b><\/h3><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The balance in a character can help us read, as it allows the \u2018breakdown\u2019 of a character.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These are just guidelines, and as you learn to read more Chinese characters, you\u2019ll find many that don\u2019t fit this rule.<\/em><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

START WITH PICTOGRAPH CHARACTERS<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I first started learning to read Chinese characters, my teacher first introduced me to characters known as pictographs. These are characters that basically look like the object\u2019s name, making them a. fun to learn and b.easier to remember.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pictographs or pictograms were the first Chinese characters<\/a> that show objects in their most rudimentary form. Although some pictographs have changed from their original bone oracle characters, most are still related to the word they depict.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following are examples of pictograph characters:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I suspect that at first glance, you may not make the connections, but once you learn their meanings, you\u2019ll be face-palming with an \u2018oh, yeah!\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What did I tell you?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, that\u2019s the reaction I had anyway, and the realization that Chinese characters had a meaning that I could actually understand was one of the reasons why I stuck with learning to read Chinese.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can get started learning pictographs in \u2018<\/span>Learn to Read with these 20 Chinese Pictographs\u2019.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason why I recommend learning pictographs first is that many of them are also radicals, which you also need to know. Of course, you can learn radicals first<\/a>, but pictographs are an excellent \u2018unscary\u2019 introduction to Chinese characters that served me well!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEARN RADICALS <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A significant step of learning to read Chinese characters is to understand radicals. No, not the revolutionary type, the ones that we like to call the \u2018building-blocks\u2019 of Chinese characters. Learning radicals is probably the next best step because after learning the pictographs, characters begin to get bigger and slightly more complex, but NOT impossible<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are approximately 214 radicals in Chinese, which may seem a lot. Still, once you have learned around one-quarter of these radicals, you might want to continue learning the remainder simultaneously with the characters in the step below.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get your free 214 Radical List PDF<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radicals generally provide you with the \u2018meaning\u2019 of a character, or sometimes the pronunciation. When I say \u2018meaning,\u2019 there are times when this will only be a mere hint, and the origins of these characters (depending on the person) may need to be studied in more detail in order to understand it fully. It often helps to look at the traditional version to see the origins of a character.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the simplified character \u4e1c<\/a> (d\u014dng) meaning \u2018east\u2019 doesn\u2019t really help us find meaning, whereas looking at the traditional character, \u6771<\/a> will help you deduce meaning and create a story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Suppose you find the origins of characters fascinating. In that case, I really recommend taking a look at the Fun with Chinese Character book series<\/a> that breaks down characters, often considering Chinese culture and going back to the bone oracle where possible.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think that it\u2019s necessarily imperative to look at the origins of a character to help you remember it. You can use other methods to help you read characters,\u00a0such as this \u2018story\u2019 method<\/a>.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

COMBINED IDEOGRAPHS AND ABSTRACT CHARACTERS<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve learned some pictographs, you\u2019ll soon be able to put some of them together (or break them apart) to learn more complex characters, known as \u4f1a\u610f<\/a> (hu\u00ec y\u00ec) combined Ideographs or \u2018meeting of ideas.\u2019 These are characters that combine two or more pictographs or ideographs to make a new character.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These are the most enjoyable characters to learn, as there is often interesting (and sometimes entertaining) logic behind their creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is also the most natural progression of study and learning some of the more advanced radicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build on the pictographs and radicals that you\u2019re studying to learn these compound characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can learn more about pictographs, combined ideographs, and the other types of Chinese characters here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRONUNCIATION ON THE RIGHT SIDE<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned in the five steps at the beginning of my post, a Chinese character also tells us how to pronounce the character, which is an essential part of learning to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve built up several characters in your\u2019 bank,\u2019 you\u2019ll soon be able to take a good stab at \u2018guessing\u2019 the pronunciation of a character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Characters that combine pictographs and phonetics are known as \u5f62\u58f0<\/a> (x\u00edng sh\u0113ng) or Determinative-Phonetic characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll probably find that some radicals act mostly as the \u2018determinative\u2019 part of the character, such as \u6728 the tree radical<\/a>. In contrast, others appear mainly for the pronunciation, like the \u5de5<\/a> (g\u014dng) radical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s fair to say there are some tricksters out there that will only provide you with a \u2018hint\u2019 of how to pronounce the character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, some characters have very similar pronunciation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pronunciation of \u4efb r\u00e8n is \u58ec r\u00e9n. The only difference is a slight change from the second tone to the fourth tone (learn more about tones here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are examples such as \u90e8 b\u00f9, that has the \u961d f\u00f9 sound as its pronunciation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve started to read Chinese characters, remembering them all can become a challenge! There are several methods below that you can try to make reading and remembering characters a little easier!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CREATE MNEMONICS <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned earlier, as Chinese characters are made up of small \u2018pictures,\u2019 it is easier to create \u2018stories\u2019 around a character. You can be as creative or as literal as you want with these mnemonics, as they\u2019re your personal method of remembering a character.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This reminds me of a game I used to play when I was teaching English, which involves the student rolling several dice with tiny pictures on each face instead of numbers. The student then has to create a story based on these pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why not give it a go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOOK TO BIGRAMS INSTEAD OF SINGLE CHARACTERS<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You might not have come across \u2018bigrams\u2019 before, but these are 2-character combinations that makeup \u2018words\u2019 in Chinese. Although some words are single characters, a bigram offers more clarification to the meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, \u4f1a<\/a> (hu\u00ec) has many meanings, including \u2018can,\u2019 \u2018to meet\u2019 and \u2018union.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To clarify the meaning of \u4f1a (hu\u00ec), take a look at the bigrams that contain the character:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u793e\u4f1a<\/a> (sh\u00e8 hu\u00ec) society<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u4e0d\u4f1a<\/a> (b\u00f9 hu\u00ec) unlikely<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u4f1a\u8bae<\/a> (hu\u00ec y\u00ec) meeting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes learning bigrams more practical AND easier, as you don\u2019t need to struggle to understand the meaning behind a character that has little meaning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about studying bigrams<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

CHOOSE A STUDY PATH<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re just studying for fun, you may not want to choose a \u2018path\u2019 and continue to learn along the route you\u2019re on now. However, studying a course or specific field of characters may provide you with more direction<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HSK<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the more popular systems to follow is HSK, an exam system of six levels. Beginning with HSK 1, you can study characters in chunks<\/a>, which is perfect for beginners as you\u2019re also learning characters used in everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the HSK vocabulary lists are free to study and review<\/a>, and you can use it to learn Chinese characters even if you choose not to take an exam<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Most Common Characters  \/ Most Common Bigrams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An alternate study method is to follow MIT\u2019s list of most common Chinese characters found in print, which is great if you\u2019re just learning to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Do you have a method for how to read Chinese characters? Please share it with us below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It will only take [est_time] to read this post! Learning to read Chinese characters is something that many students of Chinese, who often just begin learning to speak, are reluctant to show interest in. I was one of those \u2018students\u2019 if I can even call myself that, who started to learn Chinese out of necessity…. Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[142,3],"tags":[259],"class_list":["use-editor no-single","post-8924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-learner-tips","tag-beginners"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Read Chinese Characters: A Beginner's Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you new to Chinese characters and don't know where to start? 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