丶#1 · 点 (diǎn)
Dot (Diǎn)
Touch lightly with the pen tip, press down at a 45° angle, and pause cleanly at the base.
Chinese Basic Strokes Printable Worksheet (8 Core & 28 Compound Strokes)
Every Chinese character—from the 1-stroke 一 to the 30-stroke 爨—is constructed from 8 fundamental strokes (基本笔画) and their 28 compound turning and hooked variants. Printing and tracing this foundational pack trains consistent pen pressure, crisp 45-degree corners, and balanced hook angles before you practice full characters.
Part 1: The 8 Fundamental Strokes (永字八法)
Classical calligraphers use the character 永 (yǒng, eternity) because it contains all eight primary brush movements in a single glyph.
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一#2 · 横 (héng)
Horizontal (Héng)
Draw firmly from left to right with a subtle upward slope and a crisp stop at the right end.
丨#3 · 竖 (shù)
Vertical (Shù)
Keep the vertical spine dead straight; acts as the load-bearing pillar of the character.
丿#4 · 撇 (piě)
Left-Falling (Piě)
Start with firm pressure and lift the pen smoothly as you sweep toward the bottom-left corner.
乀#5 · 捺 (nà)
Right-Falling (Nà)
Begin lightly, gradually increase pressure down the diagonal, pause at the "foot", and flick right.
㇀#6 · 提 (tí)
Rising Flick (Tí)
Press firmly at the bottom-left start and flick briskly upward toward the next stroke.
亅#7 · 钩 (gōu)
Hook (Gōu)
Never round off a hook; pause briefly at the bottom corner before flicking a short, sharp point.
𠃍#8 · 折 (zhé)
Corner Turn (Zhé)
Pause at the corner pivot to create a crisp shoulder without lifting the pen off the paper.
Part 2: Compound Turning & Hooked Strokes
In Chinese stroke counting, a continuous turn or hook is written in one single pen movement without lifting the nib from the paper.
Sheet 1: Horizontal & Vertical Spacing Drill (横竖匀称练习)
Train parallel horizontal intervals (3°–5° slight upward slope) and dead-center vertical needle strokes along the Mi Zi Ge axis.
Sheet 2: Left-Falling Piě & Right-Falling Nà Symmetry (撇捺舒展练习)
Practice sweeping left-falling strokes with a crisp tapered tail and anchoring right-falling strokes with a paused foot.
Sheet 3: Compound Hooks, Turns & Curved Spines (折钩复合笔练习)
Execute 90-degree corners by pausing the nib without lifting the pen, and flick hooks cleanly toward the next stroke.
Sheet 4: Eternity 永 Synthesis & Box Enclosures (永字与方框封口练习)
Combine all eight brush movements inside 永 and practice tucking right-hand verticals slightly inward on box enclosures.