Sinograph Addenda

Signs — one page for every character

Every character the sinograph courses teach has one page here: its home. Each page tells where the shape comes from — per the scholarship, uncertainty labeled — gives a memory hook we invented and say so, and shows the character at work in a real cited line. Foundations’ characters come first, then Literary Chinese’s, each in teaching order.

SignKeySaysTaught in
人 person rén 101 · ch. 00
大 big dà 101 · ch. 00
天 heaven tiān 101 · ch. 00
土 earth tǔ 101 · ch. 00
王 king wáng 101 · ch. 00
一 one yī 101 · ch. 01
二 two èr 101 · ch. 01
三 three sān 101 · ch. 01
中 middle zhōng 101 · ch. 01
上 above shàng 101 · ch. 01
下 below xià 101 · ch. 01
日 sun rì 101 · ch. 02
月 moon yuè 101 · ch. 02
山 mountain shān 101 · ch. 02
水 water shuǐ 101 · ch. 02
木 tree mù 101 · ch. 02
口 mouth kǒu 101 · ch. 02
子 child zǐ 101 · ch. 03
曰 say yuē 101 · ch. 03
明 bright míng 101 · ch. 03
旦 dawn dàn 101 · ch. 03
休 rest xiū 101 · ch. 03
仁 humane rén 101 · ch. 03
品 kinds pǐn 101 · ch. 04
本 root běn 101 · ch. 04
末 tip mò 101 · ch. 04
未 not-yet wèi 101 · ch. 04
沐 washing mù 101 · ch. 04
味 flavor wèi 101 · ch. 04
之 of zhī 101 · ch. 05
不 not bù 101 · ch. 05
也 indeed yě 101 · ch. 05
又 again yòu 101 · ch. 05
有 have yǒu 101 · ch. 05
十 ten shí 101 · ch. 05
矢 arrow shǐ 101 · ch. 06
知 know zhī 101 · ch. 06
而 and-then ér 101 · ch. 06
行 walk xíng 101 · ch. 06
言 speech yán 101 · ch. 06
為 do wéi 101 · ch. 07
無 without wú 101 · ch. 07
我 I wǒ 101 · ch. 07
心 heart xīn 101 · ch. 07
生 grow shēng 101 · ch. 07
止 stop zhǐ 101 · ch. 08
正 upright zhèng 101 · ch. 08
是 this shì 101 · ch. 08
夕 evening xī 101 · ch. 08
名 name míng 101 · ch. 08
者 who zhě 101 · ch. 09
其 its qí 101 · ch. 09
亦 also yì 101 · ch. 09
于 at yú 101 · ch. 09
乎 really hū 101 · ch. 09
君 lord jūn 102 · ch. 01
士 officer shì 102 · ch. 01
民 people mín 102 · ch. 01
臣 minister chén 102 · ch. 01
女 woman nǚ 102 · ch. 01
目 eye mù 102 · ch. 02
見 see jiàn 102 · ch. 02
出 go-out chū 102 · ch. 02
入 enter rù 102 · ch. 02
來 come lái 102 · ch. 02
父 father fù 102 · ch. 02
非 is-not fēi 102 · ch. 03
在 be-at zài 102 · ch. 03
牛 ox niú 102 · ch. 03
物 thing wù 102 · ch. 03
萬 myriad wàn 102 · ch. 03
白 white bái 102 · ch. 03
四 four sì 102 · ch. 04
五 five wǔ 102 · ch. 04
六 six liù 102 · ch. 04
七 seven qī 102 · ch. 04
八 eight bā 102 · ch. 04
丁 nail dīng 102 · ch. 04
首 head shǒu 102 · ch. 05
道 way dào 102 · ch. 05
相 mutual xiāng 102 · ch. 05
古 old gǔ 102 · ch. 05
文 pattern wén 102 · ch. 05
所 place suǒ 102 · ch. 06
謂 say-of wèi 102 · ch. 06
書 book shū 102 · ch. 06
詩 poem shī 102 · ch. 06
云 quoth yún 102 · ch. 06
以 by-means-of yǐ 102 · ch. 07
用 use yòng 102 · ch. 07
於 in yú 102 · ch. 07
自 self zì 102 · ch. 07
與 give-with yǔ 102 · ch. 07
矣 by-now yǐ 102 · ch. 08
已 already yǐ 102 · ch. 08
今 now jīn 102 · ch. 08
學 learn xué 102 · ch. 08
時 season shí 102 · ch. 08
年 year nián 102 · ch. 08
方 direction fāng 102 · ch. 09
可 can kě 102 · ch. 09
何 what hé 102 · ch. 09
安 peace ān 102 · ch. 09
東 east dōng 102 · ch. 09
貝 cowrie bèi 102 · ch. 10
刀 knife dāo 102 · ch. 10
分 divide fēn 102 · ch. 10
則 rule zé 102 · ch. 10
先 first xiān 102 · ch. 10
後 after hòu 102 · ch. 10
能 able néng 102 · ch. 11
得 get dé 102 · ch. 11
欲 want yù 102 · ch. 11
作 make zuò 102 · ch. 11
成 become chéng 102 · ch. 11
使 send shǐ 102 · ch. 12
事 work shì 102 · ch. 12
國 state guó 102 · ch. 12
千 thousand qiān 102 · ch. 12
公 duke gōng 102 · ch. 12
世 generation shì 102 · ch. 12
如 like rú 102 · ch. 13
好 fond hǎo 102 · ch. 13
若 as-if ruò 102 · ch. 13
同 same tóng 102 · ch. 13
善 good shàn 102 · ch. 13
長 long cháng 102 · ch. 13
皆 all jiē 102 · ch. 14
百 hundred bǎi 102 · ch. 14
九 nine jiǔ 102 · ch. 14
至 arrive zhì 102 · ch. 14
此 this-here cǐ 102 · ch. 14
故 therefore gù 102 · ch. 15
然 so rán 102 · ch. 15
地 ground dì 102 · ch. 15
風 wind fēng 102 · ch. 15
從 follow cóng 102 · ch. 15