Chinese character stories: learn each character from its picture
Chinese Character Story explains Chinese characters one at a time for English-speaking learners. Each character has its own page with a short video that shows the picture behind the shape, the pronunciation, the stroke order, a few common words, and a quick quiz to check what you remember.
Characters so far
- 水 shuǐwaterVideo and quiz
- 山 shānmountainVideo and quiz
- 日 rìsun; dayVideo and quiz
- 木 mùtree; woodVideo and quiz
- 火 huǒfireVideo and quiz
New characters are added as each video is finished. We are starting with simple picture-based characters, the ones that still look a little like the thing they mean.
How each page works
- Watch. A video of about half a minute shows the picture turning into the character and reads it aloud.
- Read. A short note on where the shape comes from, how to say it, how to write it, and words that use it.
- Check. Five quick questions, marked on the page straight away.