Chinese calligraphy for beginners
Start with regular script and one character, 永, which holds all eight basic strokes.
We make Mandarin The Wild.
The four treasures
Calligraphy needs four things, called the four treasures of the study, 文房四宝 (wénfáng sìbǎo)1:
| Treasure | Chinese | What to start with |
|---|---|---|
| Brush | 笔 (bǐ) | a medium brush of goat or wolf hair |
| Ink | 墨 (mò) | bottled ink; ink sticks ground on the stone come later |
| Paper | 纸 (zhǐ) | practice paper printed with a grid, or newsprint; rice paper (宣纸) for finished work |
| Inkstone | 砚 (yàn) | any flat dish works for bottled ink |
The five scripts
Chinese characters have been written in five main styles, from the oldest to the freest1:
| Script | Chinese | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Seal script | 篆书 (zhuànshū) | rounded, even lines; the oldest, still used on seals |
| Clerical script | 隶书 (lìshū) | wide and flat, with a flared horizontal stroke |
| Regular script | 楷书 (kǎishū) | every stroke clear and separate, like print |
| Running script | 行书 (xíngshū) | strokes joined for speed, like neat handwriting |
| Cursive script | 草书 (cǎoshū) | whole characters in a few sweeps, hard to read |
Learn regular script first. Every other style is easier once you can write it, and its models, by Tang dynasty masters like Ouyang Xun (欧阳询) and Yan Zhenqing (颜真卿), are still the models beginners copy. The most famous work of all is in running script: Wang Xizhi’s (王羲之) Preface to the Orchid Pavilion, 兰亭集序, written in 3533.
The eight strokes of 永
The character 永 is written in only five strokes, but between them they hold the eight basic movements of regular script: the dot, the horizontal, the vertical, the hook, the rising stroke, two falling strokes to the left and the long falling stroke to the right. Practising 永 again and again is the traditional first lesson, called 永字八法 (yǒng zì bā fǎ), “the eight rules of 永”2.
这个永字有八种笔画。
forever; always (as in 永远); perpetual; eternal
Watch it written stroke by stroke on its stroke order page, then print a practice sheet of 永 on the 米字格 (mǐzìgé), the grid with diagonals that calligraphy paper uses.
How to hold the brush
- Upright. Hold the brush straight up, never slanted like a pen, between the thumb, the index and the middle finger, with the ring finger behind it.
- Lift the wrist. Rest the wrist for small characters; for larger ones, lift it off the table so the arm moves the brush.
- Press and lift. A stroke’s thickness comes from pressure: press to widen, lift to thin, and pause at the start and end of each stroke.
- Copy a model. Lay thin paper over a master’s character and trace it, then copy it beside the model. Copying, 临摹 (línmó), is how every calligrapher learns.
What people write
The characters and sayings people choose for a scroll or a gift:
| Characters | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 福 | fú | good fortune, hung at New Year |
| 爱 | ài | love |
| 和 | hé | harmony |
| 静 | jìng | calm, stillness |
| 道 | dào | the way |
| 梦 | mèng | dream |
| 寿 | shòu | long life, for a birthday |
| 家和万事兴 | jiā hé wàn shì xīng | a family in harmony prospers in all things |
| 天道酬勤 | tiān dào chóu qín | heaven rewards hard work |
| 宁静致远 | níng jìng zhì yuǎn | calm takes you far |
我爷爷每天练书法。
calligraphy
Also written 書法
Calligraphy with a pen
Most Chinese people today write with a pen, and schools teach 硬笔书法 (yìngbǐ shūfǎ), “hard-pen calligraphy”: the same regular script, stroke order and proportions, written with a pen or pencil. Our character worksheets print any characters on 米字格 or 田字格 grids for either, and handwriting practice checks your strokes on screen.
Questions
How do I start Chinese calligraphy?
Get a medium brush, bottled ink and grid practice paper, learn regular script (楷书), and start with the character 永, which holds the eight basic strokes. Copy a master’s model stroke by stroke, a little every day.
What are the five styles of Chinese calligraphy?
Seal script (篆书), clerical script (隶书), regular script (楷书), running script (行书) and cursive script (草书). Beginners learn regular script first.
What are the four treasures of calligraphy?
The brush (笔), the ink (墨), the paper (纸) and the inkstone (砚), called 文房四宝, the four treasures of the study.
Sources
Checked on 27 October 2026. Prices and features change; tell us if one has.