Hanzeasy® Chinese writing for beginners from Udemy

Designed to start you on your journey into the world of Chinese characters, this beginner writing course is perfect for anyone with an interest in writing Chinese characters or for those of you taking the HSK exams looking for an engaging and fun way to get started with writing.

The challenges of writing in Chinese have been broken down into bitesized and easy to digest steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, then moving on to the fundamental writing rules before learning the most important radicals. It is a common misconception that Chinese characters are all pictographic. In fact nearly 80% of Chinese characters are pictophonetic which are a combination of a radical and a phonetic component. Being able to identify a radical of a character help you guess the meaning of a character.

You will also learn to write approximately 100 characters and unlock fascinating cultural and historical knowledge as our illustrations bring the world of Chinese characters to life. Our course uses an effective memory technique by giving meaning to each stroke of a Chinese character. We have created meaningful illustrations that will help you decode each character and anchor the shape of each stroke in your mind.

What's inside

Syllabus

Students will be able to get prepared for the course and have a basic understanding of how to use the illustration

This introduction explains how to get the most out of our course.

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Breaks down the challenges of writing Chinese into digestible steps, starting with basic strokes and fundamental writing rules, which is ideal for beginners

Uses effective memory techniques by giving meaning to each stroke of a Chinese character, which can help beginners retain information more easily

Aims to teach approximately 100 characters, which can be a helpful starting point for students preparing for the HSK exams

Focuses on mastering basic strokes, fundamental writing rules, and important radicals, which builds a strong foundation for further study

Explores the pictophonetic nature of Chinese characters, which helps learners understand the relationship between radicals and phonetic components

Requires learners to understand how to use the illustrations, which may require a certain level of comfort with visual learning techniques

Reviews summary

Beginner chinese writing with illustrations

According to learners, this course offers a positive and highly accessible introduction to the world of writing Chinese characters for absolute beginners. It effectively breaks down the process into manageable, bite-sized steps, starting with fundamental strokes and progressing through stroke order, character structures, and essential radicals. A key highlight consistently mentioned is the course's engaging illustration-based memory technique, which students find particularly helpful for memorizing character shapes and components. While providing a solid foundational understanding of writing mechanics, learners should note that the course focuses on approximately 100 characters, serving as an excellent starting point that will need supplementation for broader character mastery.

Focuses on about 100 characters.

"The course covers roughly 100 characters, which is a good introduction."

"While the method is great, you will definitely need to learn many more characters after this course."

"It's a solid foundation, but don't expect to learn thousands of characters here."

"Good for getting started, but only covers a small number of characters."

Solid grounding in strokes and order.

"Learning the correct stroke order from the beginning is really important and this course covers it well."

"Mastering the basic strokes was made clear and simple."

"The focus on fundamentals like strokes and order is exactly what a beginner needs."

"It provides a great base for understanding how characters are built."

Breaks down writing into easy parts.

"The course takes you step-by-step, starting with the absolute basics like individual strokes."

"It's broken down into really manageable sections, which doesn't feel overwhelming at all."

"Perfect for someone who has never written Chinese before. It guides you through everything."

"The way the content is structured makes it easy to digest and practice."

Helps memorize characters effectively.

"The illustrations really help me connect the shape to the meaning and remember how to write it."

"Using images to explain the strokes and characters makes learning so much easier than just rote memorization."

"I found the visual approach super effective for anchoring the characters in my mind."

"The memory technique using illustrations was the most useful part of the course for me."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Hanzeasy® Chinese writing for beginners with these activities:

Review Basic Chinese Pronunciation

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Familiarize yourself with Pinyin and basic Mandarin pronunciation to better understand the phonetic components of Chinese characters.

Browse courses on Pinyin

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Review Pinyin charts and audio examples.
Practice pronouncing basic sounds and tones.
Use online resources to check your pronunciation.

Read "Remembering the Hanzi"

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Supplement the course's illustration-based method with a mnemonic approach to character memorization.

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Read the introduction to understand the book's methodology.
Work through the first few chapters, focusing on the characters covered in the course.
Create your own stories and images to reinforce your memory.

Create Flashcards for Each Character

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Reinforce your memory of the characters learned in the course by creating physical or digital flashcards.

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Create a flashcard for each character learned in the course.
Include the character, its meaning, and an example sentence.
Use the flashcards for regular review and practice.

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Practice Writing Characters Repeatedly

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Improve your muscle memory and character recognition by practicing writing each character multiple times.

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Choose a set of characters to practice.
Write each character repeatedly, focusing on stroke order and form.
Use a grid notebook to maintain consistent character size and spacing.

Explore "Chinese Characters: A Genealogy and Dictionary"

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Gain a deeper understanding of the etymology and historical development of Chinese characters.

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Browse the book to understand how characters evolved.
Look up characters learned in the course to see their origins.
Focus on understanding the radicals and their meanings.

Write Simple Sentences Using Learned Characters

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Practice using the characters you've learned by writing simple sentences.

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Choose a few characters you want to use.
Write simple sentences using those characters.
Use an online dictionary to check your grammar and vocabulary.

Follow Online Tutorials on Calligraphy

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Improve your character writing skills by learning basic calligraphy techniques.

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Search for online tutorials on Chinese calligraphy.
Follow the tutorials to learn basic brushstrokes and techniques.
Practice writing characters using calligraphy techniques.

Career center

Learners who complete Hanzeasy® Chinese writing for beginners will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Calligrapher

A calligrapher is a visual artist specializing in decorative handwriting or lettering. This course is designed for those with an interest in writing Chinese characters, so it may be useful for a calligrapher. The course is broken down into bitesized and easy to digest steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, then moving on to the fundamental writing rules before learning the most important radicals. In particular, the calligrapher may find that the course helps them approach this art form in a more efficient and effective manner.

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Curriculum Developer

A curriculum developer designs and develops educational materials and programs. A curriculum developer specializing in Chinese language education would find this course useful. This course is designed for those with an interest in writing Chinese characters, so it can provide a foundation in the written aspects of the Chinese language. The course breaks down the challenges of writing in Chinese into digestible steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, then moving on to the fundamental writing rules before learning the most important radicals.

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Foreign Language Teacher

A foreign language teacher instructs students in the grammar, vocabulary, and culture of a foreign language. For those looking to teach Chinese, this course may be useful as it provides a solid foundation in writing Chinese characters. The course breaks down the challenges of writing in Chinese into digestible steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, moving on to fundamental writing rules, and then learning the most important radicals. The course will help the Foreign Language Teacher learn to identify a radical of a character and help them guess the meaning of a character.

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Translator

A translator converts written material from one language into another. This course is designed for those with an interest in writing Chinese characters and is therefore useful for a Translator. It focuses on mastering basic strokes, fundamental writing rules, and important radicals. Given the course's focus on writing approximately 100 characters and introducing historical knowledge, learners may find that it enhances their understanding of Chinese culture. In particular, learning to identify the radical of a character, as taught in this course, helps guess the meaning of a character.

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Content Creator Chinese Culture

A content creator develops material for blogs, websites, social media or other platforms. Content Creator Chinese Culture could leverage this course to enhance their educational and engaging content concerning Chinese characters. This course provides a solid foundation in writing Chinese characters. The content creator will be able to convey the nuances of Chinese writing in an engaging manner. The course will help the Content Creator Chinese Culture learn to identify a radical of a character and help them guess the meaning of a character.

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Lexicographer

A lexicographer researches, writes, and edits dictionaries. A lexicographer will find this course helpful. This course is designed for those with an interest in writing Chinese characters, so it can provide a foundation in the written aspects of the Chinese language. The challenges of writing in Chinese are broken down into bitesized and easy to digest steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, then moving on to the fundamental writing rules before learning the most important radicals. This course will help the lexicographer learn to identify a radical of a character and help them guess the meaning of a character.

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Cultural Liaison

A cultural liaison bridges communication gaps and promotes understanding between people of different cultural backgrounds. This course may be useful for a cultural liaison who works with Chinese culture. It introduces learners to writing Chinese characters, mastering basic strokes, fundamental writing rules, and important radicals. The course unlocks fascinating cultural and historical knowledge as illustrations bring the world of Chinese characters to life. Cultural liaisons who have taken this course are well-versed in the culture surrounding Chinese characters.

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Localization Specialist

A localization specialist adapts content for a specific region or market, ensuring it is culturally appropriate and linguistically accurate. For a Localization Specialist working with Chinese content, understanding the nuances of Chinese writing is essential. The objective of this course is teaching writing Chinese characters, so it can provide a foundation in the written aspects of the Chinese language. The course unlocks fascinating cultural and historical knowledge as illustrations bring the world of Chinese characters to life.

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Interpreter

An interpreter converts spoken language from one language into another. Although interpretation emphasizes spoken communication, having a strong understanding of written characters, as this course offers, is helpful. This course introduces learners to the world of Chinese characters, focusing on mastering basic strokes, fundamental writing rules, and important radicals. The course uses an effective memory technique by giving meaning to each stroke of a Chinese character. An interpreter who has taken this course will be well versed in the culture surrounding Chinese characters.

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Diplomat

A diplomat represents a country's government in international relations. Diplomacy often involves communication with people from different cultures and backgrounds, so knowledge of foreign languages and cultures is useful. This course introduces learners to writing Chinese characters, mastering basic strokes, fundamental writing rules, and important radicals. The course unlocks fascinating cultural and historical knowledge as illustrations bring the world of Chinese characters to life. Diplomats who have taken this course are more likely to be successful.

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Linguist

A linguist studies the science of language, including its structure, history, and acquisition. This course is designed for those with an interest in writing Chinese characters, so it can provide a foundation in the written aspects of the Chinese language. The challenges of writing in Chinese have been broken down into bitesized and easy to digest steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, then moving on to the fundamental writing rules before learning the most important radicals. In particular, the course details approximately 100 characters and includes cultural knowledge.

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Document Reviewer

A document reviewer examines documents for legal or compliance purposes. This course is designed for those with an interest in writing Chinese characters and may be useful for a Document Reviewer who needs exposure to Chinese writing. The challenges of writing in Chinese have been broken down into bitesized and easy to digest steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, then moving on to the fundamental writing rules before learning the most important radicals. In particular, learning approximately 100 characters and becoming familiar with fundamental writing rules may be useful.

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International Business Consultant

An international business consultant provides guidance to companies expanding into global markets. For those working with Chinese businesses, understanding the language and culture can be a differentiator. This course introduces learners to writing Chinese characters, mastering basic strokes, fundamental writing rules, and important radicals. Being able to identify a radical of a character helps one guess the meaning of a character. International Business Consultants who have taken this course are more likely to be successful.

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Brand Manager

A brand manager oversees a brand's image and marketing. When managing a brand in China, it can be useful to have knowledge of the Chinese language and culture. This course may be useful as it provides a basic understanding of Chinese characters. The challenges of writing in Chinese have been broken down into digestible steps, beginning with mastering the basic strokes, moving on to fundamental writing rules, and then learning the most important radicals. The brand manager may be better prepared to tailor a brand to the Chinese market.

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Archivist

An archivist assesses, collects, preserves, and provides access to historical documents and records. When working with Chinese historical texts, an archivist may find this course helpful. This course may be useful as it provides a solid foundation in writing Chinese characters. It focuses on mastering basic strokes, fundamental writing rules, and important radicals. Given the course's focus on learning approximately 100 characters and introducing historical knowledge, learners may find that it enhances their understanding of Chinese history.

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Reading list

We've selected one books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Hanzeasy® Chinese writing for beginners.

Hanzeasy® Chinese writing for beginners

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Beginner chinese writing with illustrations

Activities

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