Intro to Chinese Characters:

Radicals:

An introduction to Chinese Characters: video

Link to Top 40 Radicals Flashcards

Radical Stories 1: video
Radical Stories 2: video
Radical Stories 3: video

Stroke Order:

Writing characters in the correct order is essential for the character to look correct. Two basic rules are followed:


Stroke Order

1. Top before bottom


2. Left before right


These rules conflict whenever one stroke is to the bottom and left of another. Several additional rules resolve many of these conflicts.

3. Left vertical stroke (usually) before top horizontal stroke


4. Bottom horizontal stroke last



5. Center stroke before wings



6. Horizontal strokes before intersecting vertical strokes


7. Left-falling strokes before right-falling srokes


A final rule can contradict the others:

8. Minor strokes (often) last
 

Despite these conflicts between rules most students quickly acquire a natural feel for the proper stroke order.

Radical Order  -  Most Chinese characters are combinations of simpler, radical components. 

Usually the two parts are written at top and bottom

or left and right

so that the main two stroke order rules readily apply. Occasionally these rules also conflict with respect to components. 

When one component is at the bottom-left, and the other at the top-right, the top-right component is sometimes written first.


When there are several components, top components are written first.


These rules usually imply each component is written in its entirety before another component is written. 

Exceptions may arise when one component divides another,

encompasses another,

or the individual components are no longer discernible in modern writing.

(source: www.zhongwen.com)

Remember! most online dictionaries offer stroke order animations, so check there when you're not sure how to write a character.  

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Visual Aid: here

A Calligrapher's Stroke Order: video

The Most Complicated Character: video