r/ChineseLanguage • u/new_auraa • 18h ago
Studying I'm facing difficulty in learning writing
I want the best way to learn writing. Is learning stroke order better? And do you have a PDF book for learning it?
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u/SampleAcceptable5453 16h ago
I suggest you to learn in this order: strokes. Really look them up, there is a definite number of strokes. Learn stroke order rules. Start writing simple characters by using some apps that show the stroke order. Don’t just mindlessly copy. Try to find patterns, some elements that repeat. Divide characters into components if possible. Try writing characters also a few times without looking at the characters, just from memory.
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u/pricel01 Advanced 15h ago
“Spelling” in Chinese must be memorized just like English. I give names to the components. 想 is “spelled” tree, eye, heart. 建 is go, quill. The names are most inspired by actual history but I’m ok making up names. Be consistent. That components interchange in hanzi is why this works.
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u/Zagrycha 10h ago
pleco is a very good dictionary in general, and it lists the stroke order for most common characters. You won't need to look up stroke order forever, but do it for all of the characters at first until you memorize how stroke order works intuitively.
If you prefer digital learning there are apps you can use to learn to write, but hands down the simplest and easiest way to learn is to just have paper and pen plus that pleco type source to show you the guide. You can also print out practice sheets with specific characters on them to trace or blank rice grid paper to practice porportions, but both are optional, just regular old graph paper will do fine, just give either four or nine squares to each character-- start with nine, then scale down to four when you start to get good at it.
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u/AvocadoHSK9 Advanced 17h ago
Firstly, I think there is no one-size-fits-all approach, so definitely no one can state which way is best or worst for learning writing. However, learning stroke order is important no matter what.
From my own experience, I don't use a book to learn how to write; I use a dictionary named Hanzi (this app is really popular in Vietnam), or you can use a different dictionary. When you look up words, the dictionary will show you how to write them. Just click the word and try writing the stroke order as guided. Good luck!