Chinese Stroke Order Rules (筆順規則): 8 Rules with Examples
The core rules that decide the order of strokes in almost every Chinese character, with examples, exceptions and why stroke order matters.
Key takeaways
- Stroke order follows a handful of rules: horizontal before vertical, left-falling before right-falling, top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside, close the frame last, centre before sides.
- Special cases: a dot at the top right is often written last (犬, 戈), and 辶 and 廴 are written after the part they carry (這, 建).
- Official standards in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China differ for a small number of characters. Follow the standard your school uses.
Why stroke order matters
Stroke order is not just school tradition. Writing in the standard order keeps characters balanced, makes handwriting faster because each stroke flows into the next, and makes cursive and semi-cursive writing possible. Hong Kong primary schools assess it, and handwriting input on phones works best when strokes arrive in the expected order.
You can watch any character being written with the stroke order animator or on its dictionary page, such as 永 or 國.
Rule 1: horizontal before vertical (先橫後豎)
When a horizontal and a vertical cross, write the horizontal first: 十, 王.
Rule 2: left-falling before right-falling (先撇後捺)
When a left-falling stroke (丿) and a right-falling stroke (㇏) meet, write the 丿 first: 人, 八, 文.
Rule 3: top to bottom (從上到下)
Write the upper strokes and components first: 三, 思, 字.
Rule 4: left to right (從左到右)
Write the left strokes and components first: 川, 明, 你.
Rule 5: outside before inside (從外到內)
For frames open at the bottom or right, write the frame, then the inside: 月, 同, 風.
Rule 6: enter, then close the door (先入後關)
For fully enclosed characters, write the left and top of the frame, then the inside, and close the bottom last: 日, 回, 國.
Rule 7: centre before sides (先中間後兩邊)
When a character has a dominant centre with symmetrical sides, write the centre first: 小, 水 and 山.
Rule 8: special positions
- Top-right dots last. In 犬, 戈 and 我, the dot on the upper right is written at the end.
- 辶 and 廴 last. Write the carried component first, then the walking radical: 這, 近, 建.
- Piercing strokes last. A vertical that runs through the whole character is written last: 中, 串.
- Bottom-left enclosures (凵) last. In 凶, the inside comes before the 凵 frame.
Different standards
Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong each publish stroke order standards, and they agree on the rules above for the vast majority of characters. Differences appear in a small number of characters and components. Our animations use mainland-standard data, so if your textbook shows a different order for a particular character, follow your textbook.
Practising stroke order
- Watch the animation on the character’s page.
- Trace it on a practice sheet, saying the stroke names aloud.
- Use practice mode in the stroke order animator, which rejects wrong strokes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important stroke order rule?
Top to bottom and left to right cover most cases. Add outside before inside and closing frames last, and you can write most characters correctly.
Is stroke order the same in Hong Kong and mainland China?
Mostly yes, but official standards differ for some characters. Follow the standard used by your school or exam.
Why is the dot in 犬 written last?
A dot at the upper right of a character is conventionally written after the main strokes, as in 犬, 戈 and 我.
Related guides
Basic strokes & their names
The eight basic strokes, their Chinese names and common compound strokes, plus the classic calligraphy lesson hidden in the character 永.
How to count strokes
How to count strokes correctly, why turning strokes count as one, and the radicals such as 艹, 辶 and 阝 that trip people up.
Character structure
The structural patterns Chinese characters are built from, how common each one is, and how to proportion each type neatly when writing.
Improve your handwriting
A practical method for neater Chinese handwriting: choosing 田字格 or 米字格 paper, tracing then copying, focusing on main strokes and proportion, and checking your work.